Forever Has to Start Somewhere
by ChirpChirp1827
Summary: Jesse and Rachel's relationship doesn't begin in a music store. It begins in the choir room when they tell each other all the secrets that have been holding them back. Or: Rachel and Jesse make up in Bad Reputation.
1. Bad Reputation

**DISCLAIMER: Neither Rachel Berry or Jesse St. James belongs to me.**

 **Forever Has to Start Somewhere**

 **Chapter 1:** Bad Reputation

* * *

She watched him as she sung.

Even as the others filed out of the room, she kept her gaze on him.

He stared back at her.

Their eyes stayed locked as the rest of the glee club walked between them.

When he stood up and started to follow, she felt her heart shatter.

" _Turn around, bright eyes,_ " he sung, his voice soft.

The lyrics were his goodbye and they sounded every bit as hurt as she felt.

She could admit that she'd been harboring doubts about their relationship. She knew how badly he wanted that fourth national title and she worried about what he would do if New Directions didn't make it past regionals.

But hearing how hurt he had been by her stunt, knowing that he felt the same way she did, settled something in her.

"Jesse," she choked out.

He stopped in the doorway, but didn't turn around.

Rachel swallowed hard before saying, "I'm so sorry, Jesse. You said you should have been enough for me and _you_ are. The truth is I've never been sure I'm enough for you. Your reputation is so much better then mine. So is Finn's and you've seen how that has turned out."

Silence settled.

After a moment, he said, "The coach of Vocal Adrenaline is your birth mother and she told me to get close to you. She's not allowed to talk to you until you turn eighteen. I'm supposed to get you to talk to her first." He turned around now. "She's expecting me to go back to Vocal Adrenaline before regionals."

"You've been lying to me?" Rachel said. She didn't think she could feel worse then she when he'd confronted her at her locker the day before, but this moment was proving her wrong.

"Yes, but no." He took a step towards her. "Our first meeting was a complete coincidence and she didn't approach me until after our first date. I love you, Rachel, and I swear to you that that's not a lie."

Rachel's tongue darted along her bottom lip. "I suppose you'll be transferring back to Carmel then?"

His eyes darted across her face. His voice was low as he said, "I was going to get on spring break with them to start learning their regionals numbers. When I came back, I was going to find a way to get things settled between you and Shelby then leave."

This time, it was her that took the step forward. "You were going to?"

"I could be convinced to stay."

"For the week?" she questioned.

Jesse took another step. It brought him close enough that when he reached out for her, he was cradling her jaw in his palm. He spoke softly, swiping his thumb against her cheek, "For as long as you want me too."

"Do you promise?"

"Absolutely." He leaned down to press their foreheads together afterwards. His eyes drifted shut and he sung quietly, " _I'll send you all my love every day in a letter, sealed with a kiss._ "

They were silent for a moment before she murmured, "I'd like that."

He pulled far enough away that they were staring each other in the eye. "You're sure?"

"Yes. I know we still have to talk about everything and that a kiss won't fix that," Rachel said. "But, I still want to."

He stared at her for a moment, before nodding slightly.

He leaned down at the same time that she stretched upwards.

It was nothing more then a soft touch of their lips, but it made Rachel feel like everything would work out.

* * *

 **E/n:** I've always kinda wondered how things would have gone if Jesse and Rachel had fixed things during Bad Reputation, so here we are...

Right now I'm planning on doing a chapter per season for the first three seasons. I'm planning on doing more then one scene per episode, but since this is only the beginning and it takes place pretty much at the end of the episode I decided just this would be enough. I may go farther and do the other seasons, but I'm not sure yet? I'd like to get that far before I really consider it.

I'm not sure about quite a lot of this fic, tbh, but I think I'll enjoy writing it and I hope you'll enjoy reading it!


	2. Laryngitis

**Forever Has to Start Somewhere**

 **Chapter 2:** Laryngitis

* * *

Mr. Schue put his arm around Rachel. He murmured, "Rachel, I think you've lost your voice."

Jesse saw the fear in her eyes at the words.

He was out of his seat in an instant. He shoved Schuester aside and pulled her into him. Her arms came around him immediately, her fingernails digging into his shoulder.

He pressed his face into her hair, pressing kisses against it. "It's okay, baby. It's probably just a cold."

"I've never had a cold in my life, Jesse," she said. Her voice sounded so sad and broken that he felt like his heart was going to shatter in his chest.

"I know, I know."

He smoothed one hand over her back.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the rest of the glee club still sitting in their seats. They looked equal parts uncomfortable and confused. A few of them managed to look at least somewhat worried.

Jesse wished they would leave. This wasn't something they needed to see.

"I have to go to the doctor once glee club ends," Rachel said.

"I'll take you."

She shook her head. "You have vocal lessons."

"I can call and reschedule."

She shook her head again. "No. I want you to go. Just because I can't sing doesn't mean you shouldn't."

He took a deep breath to steady himself.

He understood where Rachel was coming from.

They were so connected, so alike, that he could hear all of the unspoken worries tumbling around her head. The ones that involved her voice never coming back and their shared dream never coming true.

There was a part of him, though, that was absolutely livid that his girlfriend wanted him to leave her when she was going through this.

"How are you going to get there?" Jesse asked. "I drove you to school this morning. And I don't want you to be alone if it's not good news."

He felt her fingers dig further into his shoulder.

Feeling a stab of guilt at having voiced her fears, he pressed another kiss to her hair.

"I'm sure there's someone else in the club who can take me."

There was a moment of silence before, "I'll take you, Rachel."

Jesse stiffened. His grip tightened on Rachel's waist. He turned his face away from Rachel, glaring at Finn who had his hand held up. "Absolutely not."

"Jess," Rachel whispered.

"I don't want him there with you," Jesse hissed. He didn't look away from Finn as he spoke. "I don't want him to take advantage of the emotional state you're in."

"I wouldn't do that!" Finn objected.

"Wouldn't you?" Jesse snapped. "You've manipulated her feelings before."

"Stop," Rachel insisted. When he felt her pulling from his arms, he turned to look at her again. His heart clenched when he saw tears gathered in the corners of her eyes. He felt a stab of guilt at having let his feelings about Finn take over when she was like this. "Jesse, I know you don't like him, but Finn is the only one in this club who likes me. The football players don't care about me either way, the cheerios hate me, and the original gleeks would probably be happy if my voice never came back and they could have my solos."

The silence that settled over the room was uncomfortable.

Jesse could see a few of them shifting in their seats and it was enough to bring at least a little satisfaction to his chest.

"Fine," he snapped at last. "Finn can take you, but I want you to call me the moment you know what's happening. Regardless of whether the news is good or bad."

"I will."

"And I'm staying at your house until you get better. Or your dads come back. Whichever comes first."

"Okay."

He tightened his hold on her for just a minute before relaxing. He dropped his hands from her waist, moving them up to hold her face. He tipped their foreheads together, whispering, "It's going to be okay, baby. I swear."

"You can't know that," she murmured back. Her hands fell away from his shoulders, laying over his own instead. "But thank you."

He pressed a kiss to her forehead before stepping away completely. He jerked his head in Finn's direction, "Get her to the doctor."

* * *

By the time Jesse arrived at the Berry household, the sky had gone dark

He dropped the tupperware container and white pastry box he carried onto the kitchen. He tossed his duffel bag into the living room before making his way up the stairs.

He didn't knock on Rachel's door before opening it, not wanting to wake her up if she was asleep. Her light was off and from the doorway he could just make out her figure curled up on her bed.

He was about to leave when he saw her shifting. She called out a soft, sleepy, "Jesse?"

"Yeah, it's me." He didn't make a move to leave the doorway. "I'm sorry I woke you up. I just wanted to let you know that I was here now."

"What took so long?"

"I had to get clothes from my Uncle's place. When I told him why I was staying over, he insisted on making you chicken noodle soup."

"I'm a vegan."

"And when I told him that, he insisted on looking up looking up a recipe for vegetable soup. There's a tub of it in the kitchen for you along with some pastries I picked up from that bakery you like. I thought you could use some comfort food."

"Thank you."

"You're very welcome." He glanced at her alarm clock, noting that it was only nine o'clock. Rachel had always went to bed a little early for a high schooler, but nine o'clock was odd even for her. He supposed the illness was taking more out of her then she was letting on. "I'm going to let you get back to sleep."

Instead of wishing him a good night as he expected, Rachel requested, "Stay with me?"

Jesse hesitated. They'd slept together before, cat naps after dance class had quickly become one of his favorite things, but this was different. He didn't want to freak Rachel out while she was sick and he couldn't guarantee his body wouldn't respond to having her pressed up against him.

"Please?" Rachel said. "I'm not contagious-"

"I wasn't worried about that," he assured. "I wouldn't leave you alone just because I was afraid of getting sick."

She continued as if he hadn't interrupted, "-and I don't want to be alone."

"Never." He let out a soft sigh before nodding, "Okay. I'll sleep in here."

He stepped into her bedroom, shutting the door softly behind him. He could feel her eyes on him as he tossed his jacket onto the floor before shimming out of his jeans.

When he slipped onto her bed, she turned so they were facing each other. His arms wrapped around her, pulling her closer, and she pillowed her head against his chest.

They laid in silence for a while before she murmured his name.

"What?" he questioned.

"I'm glad you stayed this week. I'm glad we worked things out," she said. His fingers curled tighter around her hip. "I can't imagine going through this without you by my side."

"I'm glad I stayed too." He bent down, brushing a kiss against her forehead. "Go to sleep. You need to rest if you're going to get better."

* * *

 **E/n:** Jesse and Rachel both seem a little ooc to me. I could blame it on it being because Rachel is sick in this episode and they're both obviously thrown by it, but I'm not sure how the next chapter will go? They're definitely missing some of their drama and divaness but it could just be because they aren't necessarily in scenarios where it would be relevant. Let me know if you think they're too out of character or if you think it's fine.

It was nice to write something a little fluffy since the next few are going to be a bit emotionally charged with the whole Shelby situation. It's going to be quite the dramatic beginning for this story, I only hope I can keep it up as the chapters go on.

I'm also going to just say right now - I am not a Finn Hudson fan at all. I'm going to try not to outright bash him, but the fact of the matter is that he likely won't have a lot of positive interactions in this fic. Especially not in the beginning when Jesse is still in high school and hates his guts.


	3. Dream On

**Forever Has to Start Somewhere**

 **Chapter 3:** Dream On

* * *

"Well, that was interesting," Jesse declared as they walked out of the choir room. Rachel was tucked against his side, his arm slung over her shoulders.

"I think horrible would have been my word choice. He made Tina cry." She gave a soft sigh and a shake of her head, "How does the school find these people? Is hating glee club on the application or something?"

Jesse just gave a shrug.

Thinking back on the lesson, he realized that he hadn't seen her paper.

"What did you write?" Jesse questioned.

"The dream that I've had since I was four. Evita, Funny Girl, and Laurey from Oklahoma."

Jesse gave a soft hum and stopped walking. He tugged Rachel so she was looking at him, glad that they'd been the last people out of the choir room, and put his hands on her face. "That's not a dream. A dream is something that fills up the emptiness inside, the one thing that you know if it came true all the hurt would go away. You singing Don't Cry For Me Argentina in front of a sold out crowd isn't a fantasy, it's an inevitability."

The wide smile that spread across her face warmed his chest.

He ducked forward and pressed their lips together.

When they pulled apart, Jesse's delight grew. Rachel's smile was fantastic, but it would be shared with the world. The look on Rachel's face now, when her lips were plump and red from kissing and her eyes darkened with pleasure, was one that belonged only to him.

"So, Rachel Berry," he said, rubbing his thumb over her cheek, "what is your dream?

"I'm not sure," she admitted.

"Well then go inside, find it, and ask it what it's going to take."

Her eyebrows furrowed for a moment. "Why are you pushing this?"

"Because you're my girlfriend and I want to make your dreams come true," he answered. He pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. "When you lie awake at night, what's missing?"

She was silent for a moment. Then her eyes dropped away from his, shifting down to the floor, and she murmured, "My mother."

His eyes widened and his fingers twitched against her skin. "Rachel-"

"It's not because of you," she said. She reached up, lying one of her palms over his. "I've always wondered about her. Admittedly, before all I really wanted was a name. But now that I know who she is, now that I know she wants me, I want to meet her."

Jesse rolled his lip between his teeth. After a moment, he nodded. "Alright, but not this week. Take this week to think about it and when you're sure, we can talk about what to do."

She gave a single nod. "I can do that."

"Good." He pressed another kiss to her forehead. He dropped one of his hands from her face and used the one she was holding to lace their fingers together. He tugged her back into his side. "What did you have planned for today?"

She hummed, playing with his fingers as they walked. "I was thinking of practicing Laurey's dream ballet today. It's what I do when I'm feeling stressed."

"Curly isn't on my list, but if you'd like a partner for the afternoon I'd be willing."

"That would be fantastic." She lifted their joined hands and pressed a kiss to his knuckles. "Coffee first?"

"Sounds like a plan."

* * *

The next day, Rachel walked into her bedroom to find Jesse already sitting on her bed.

"Jesse!" she exclaimed, smiling when she spotted him. "How'd you get in?"

"Your dad let me in," he answered. He held up a small cassette tape. "I have something for you."

"What is it?"

"A tape Shelby made for you." He turned the box over in his hand as he said, "The plan was for me to befriend you until you trusted me enough to give me an opportunity to plant it and get you to listen to it. I wasn't going to give it to you since you didn't ask about her when I first told you..."

"But now that I have, you thought I should listen to it?"

"I thought you should at least know it existed."

She stepped across the room, curling her fingers around the outstretched tape. She didn't pull it away from his grasp.

"Will you stay with me while I listen?" she questioned.

"If you want me too."

She gave a small nod before pulling the tape from him.

He watched as she crossed the room to pop the cassette into her stereo.

"I was supposed to meet up with her yesterday," Jesse informed. "I blew her off since there isn't really a reason to meet up now that I'm not planning on going back to Vocal Adrenaline. But I thought you should know."

"Thank you for telling me."

She situated the tape and pressed play before coming back to him.

They sat side-by-side, thighs pressed together and hands intertwined, as the first strands of I Dreamed a Dream flowed through the room.

* * *

 **E/n** : So, for the record, the reason these chapters are coming out so quickly is because last night I watched Bad Reputation through Theatricality. I kinda marathon glee on the weekends. If I manage to finish theatricality today, I'm going to try and also do Funk and Journey to Regionals. Round out the first season, you know? After that, I'm not sure how the updates will work. They'll likely still be frequent since I write these as I watch the episodes - or as much as I can get done during one episode. Then I keep writing until I finish and just rewind to the episode I need.

So yeah!

Favorite, follow, review if it would so please you.


	4. Theatrically

**Forever Has to Start Somewhere**

 **Chapter 4:** Theatrically

* * *

On Monday morning, Jesse walked into McKinley High to find Rachel leaning against his locker with her books gripped tightly to her chest.

"Hello," he greeted. He pressed his lips to hers in a quick hello before tapping on her hip with two fingers.

Understanding the gesture, she slid herself over so he could spin in his combination. Her voice was soft as she returned his greeting, "Good morning."

"I'm certainly not going to complain about it," he said as he twisted the lock, "but why are you here already? You told me not to pick you up today so I figured you were running late."

"That's not why I told you not to get me." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear. "I'm going to need my car after school."

"Why? You know I don't mind dropping you off wherever you need to be."

"I know. I just have plans after school that I think would make you uncomfortable."

He quirked an eyebrow but didn't turn to look at her. "What could you possibly be doing that would make me uncomfortable?" A thought crossed his mind that had him frowning and turning so she was just in his vision. "You aren't going to Hudson's, are you?"

"No. There's no reason for me to visit Finn's house." Her fingers curled tighter around her books. "I'm driving over to Carmel to see Shelby."

His entire body froze.

"Rachel-"

"Stop. You told me to wait a week and see if I was sure. Well I am and I'm going to do it."

He sucked in a deep breath before letting it out.

"Alright." He focused all of his attention on her. "If that's what you want then I won't argue with you about it."

"You promise?"

"I promise." Jesse reached out, putting his hand over hers. "You know I'm only against this because I'm worried she'll hurt you, right? She might have only told me to befriend you, but she certainly wasn't objecting when I got closer to you then that. She didn't care that it was going to break your heart as long as you went to her afterwards."

She turned her palm so their fingers could lace together. "I know."

"Okay." He gave her hand a tight squeeze. "Are you sure you want to do this alone? I could go with you."

"I would love for you to come with me, but I think this is probably something I have to do alone."

"I'll respect that then." He squeezed her hand once more before letting go. "Let me grab my french textbook, then we can go to the music room. Singing will calm your nerves."

* * *

"Jesse, I think you had better come downstairs!"

Confusion filled Jesse at his uncle's request, but he obeyed it nonetheless. He rolled himself off of his bed, leaving his textbooks strewn across it, and made his way downstairs.

"What's going on?" he questioned when he'd found the man. His uncle was standing in the foyer, the door open in front of him. "Is someone-"

"Jesse."

For what seemed like the hundredth time in the past few weeks, Jesse felt as if his heart was shattering in his chest when he looked at Rachel.

There were fat tears gathered in her eyes and mascara treks running down her cheeks.

"Rachel." He darted forward, relief flooding him when his uncle moved swiftly out of the way, and wrapped his arms around her. He could feel her body shaking in his embrace. "Oh Rachel, what happened?"

"S-She doesn't want me," Rachel choked out. Her words were muffled by Jesse's tee-shirt and warped by her sobs, but still understandable. "She thought there would be this big moment when everything clicked and when there wasn't she didn't want me."

"Oh, baby..." His arms tightened around her, pulling her even closer. "I'm so sorry. I am so so sorry."

"N-Not your fault."

"It is," he insisted. He smoothed his hand down her hair. "I should have fought you more. I should have insisted on coming with you."

"It would only have made me a-angrier," she answered. Her fingers tightened their hold on the back of his shirt. "T-Then I wouldn't have you either."

"You'll always have me." He pressed a kiss against her hair, "Always."

He looked up, sending a glance over his shoulder at his uncle.

The man seemed to understand what he wanted, because he gave a small nod.

Jesse gave him a small smile before saying to Rachel, "Baby, why don't we go up to my bedroom? You'll be more comfortable there."

"I don't want to let you go."

"You don't have to." He braced himself before scooping down to gather her thighs in his hands. She wrapped her legs around his waist instantly and buried her face in his neck. He hated the feeling of her tears against his skin. "I know it's not what you want to hear, but she is so stupid. You are such a wonderful girl and she is so stupid to let the chance to be in your life slip from her fingers."

* * *

Jesse knocked twice before entering the classroom, calling out, "Mr. Schuester?"

The man looked up from the paper he was examining. Surprise flickered across his face. "Jesse. I wasn't expecting you."

"I know, but I was hoping to talk to you about something." He gripped the strap of his messenger bag as anger flared up inside him. "It's about Rachel."

"Are you two having problems?"

"No. We're fine. It's more-" Jesse struggled with how to explain this. He wasn't usually this bad with words. Eventually, he settled on just getting it out. "Rachel's birth mother is Shelby Corcoran. She set Rachel and I up in an effort to connect with her. They met yesterday after glee practice and it didn't exactly go over well."

"It didn't?"

Jesse shook his head. "Rachel wasn't in a state to explain last night and I didn't want to bring it up this morning, but from what I understand Mrs. Corcoran didn't have realistic expectations. She couldn't handle the fact that Rachel was a person who had grown up without her for sixteen years."

Mr. Schue nodded in understanding. He was quiet for a minute before saying, "What are you asking me to do, Jesse? Because this may be an issue better handled by Ms. Pillsbury."

"That's not necessary. I suspect Rachel wouldn't be comfortable with it either." He took a deep breath before continuing, "I understand that you've had contact with Mrs. Corcoran before?" The glee teacher's face flushed a bright red, but he gave a nod of affirmation. "Good. I'd simply like you to speak to her about how unacceptable her reaction was and the fact that she needs to stay far away from Rachel. I would deliver the message myself, but there are circumstances which make that impossible."

He waited until Mr. Schue had nodded before adding, "Rachel was insistent on coming to school today, even though I tried to convince her to take the day off. I would appreciate if you could refrain from commenting on any of this. She would prefer things to go on as normally as possible."

"Sure thing, Jesse."

"Thank you."

He turned to leave, only to be stopped by Mr. Schue calling out for him. He turned his head to see the man and was a little surprised to see a small smile on the teacher's face given the circumstances.

"I can see how much you care for Rachel," Mr. Schue informed, "and I just wanted to let you know that your good for her."

Jesse's eyes widened a bit in surprise.

It wasn't as if Mr. Schue had really ever shown him any disdain, but it was pretty clear that the man held a clear biased towards Finn.

With the two of them vying after the same girl, Jesse hadn't expected to have Mr. Schue's approval.

"Thank you," Jesse said after a moment. "But I think it's the other way around."

Mr. Schue just smiled and waved him off.

* * *

Jesse sighed as Rachel pressed the wet wipe against his cheek, taking off some of the white makeup that caked his face.

"I should have performed with you guys instead," Jesse said. "This KISS make up is going to be hell on my complexion."

"You're overreacting," Rachel declared. "It won't have any effect as long as we get it off quickly."

His only response was another sigh.

He watched her work in silence for a while.

After several moments, he reached up and caught her wrist. Her hand stilled against his cheek.

"How are you?" he questioned.

She took a shaky breath before admitting, "Still upset, still shook up." He gave a small nod, having anticipating that. "But, I'm going to be okay."

He looked in her eyes, searching for any hint that she was lying. When he found done, he said, "Really?"

"Really," she assured. "Don't get me wrong, I wanted her. But, I don't need her. I have Mr. Schue. I have the glee club. I have my dads. I have you."

He squeezed her wrist and repeated his words from the night before, "You'll have me always."

"I know." A moment passed before she let out a soft sigh. "I would kiss you, but I think it would be a little awkward given the state of your face."

"Agreed." His lips quirked in a small smile, "After?"

She nodded, her lips curling as well. "After."

* * *

 **E/n:** Okay so this chapter was a little rough to get started, I had to figure out how to rework the original Shelby-Rachel meeting to fit with the bits of canon that I've already shifted. Hopefully this works well for everyone?

I hope this isn't too repetitive for anyone? Rachel and Jesse are making a lot of the same touches, but that's mostly because they've been in a lot of emotionally charged situations where they needed to comfort each other. After journey to regionals, I'm hoping to mix that up a bit as their interactions will largely be fluffy or through a computer screen since Jesse won't be in Lima. Bear with me?

Unless your enjoying all the touching between them, I certainly am. In canon I always liked our casual they were about touching each other.


	5. Funk

**Forever Has to Start Somewhere**

 **Chapter** 5: Funk

* * *

Jesse was relieved to find the rest of the club already gathered, and Mr. Schue not present, upon his and Rachel's arrival.

"I need to speak to everyone before practice starts," he said, loud enough to break through their small conversations and capture the groups attention. He waited until Rachel had ducked under his arm and seated herself before speaking again. "I know not all of you are familiar with the traditions of show choirs, so I wanted to warn you to travel in pairs this week."

"Why?" Puck questioned. He was sprawled out among several chairs while Quinn sat in the one to his left with his arm around her shoulders.

"Because Vocal Adrenaline are firm believers in funkification," Jesse answered. "And they always strike the week before the competition that way they can focus on their numbers the week of."

"Funkification?" repeated Finn. "What's that?"

"It's supposed to be a friendly prank between competing show choirs, but Vocal Adrenaline has always taken it a bit too far."

Puck leaned forward, clearly intrigued. "How far?"

"My freshmen year we locked the lead singer of a lead competition in a closet until his teammates found him several hours later. He was claustrophobic. I heard he was in therapy for a few months." He let his words sink in for a bit before using their stunned silence to plow ahead. "Now that you fully understand how bad funkification can get, I'd like to propose a plan. I think we should make sure someone is with Quinn and Rachel every time they leave their homes or school. I know it seems excessive, but those are the only times when they'll be able to corner them."

There was another beat of silence before Santana spoke up, "I understand why we have to stay with Quinn, but why the fuck are we protecting man hands?"

"Because she's their target."

"How the fuck do you know that?" Puck questioned.

"Vocal Adrenaline goes for the toughest competitors. When you can shake a show choirs best singer, their whole choir falls apart." He glanced around before adding, "You can deny it all you want, but Rachel and I are far and beyond the most talented singers in this group. They aren't stupid enough to go after me. They're all well aware of how cruel I can be, so Rachel is their only option."

There was silence for a minute before Kurt asked, "If Rachel is the target, then why protect Quinn?"

Jesse didn't hesitate to answer, "Safety precaution. The targets are the leads but that doesn't mean other members aren't occasionally brought into it."

There was a thoughtful silence before the members begun to nod one by one.

"Now that we're all in agreement," Jesse continued, "I'd like to suggest that Mercedes and Puck switch off with Quinn. Mercedes can escort Quinn to her place when Puck has football practice and afterwards Puck can take over."

"That's fine by me," Quinn agreed. "Whose taking care of Rachel?"

"Primarily me, given that the two of us are always together anyway," Jesse answered. He added, "Having me around should also serve to deter them from doing anything."

"When do you need me then?" asked Finn.

"You? Never."

Finn scowled, "After you, I'm the one who cares about Rachel the most in this club."

"You're also the one who has hurt her the most," Jesse snapped back. "And besides that, it took you a week to gather the courage to stick up for Kurt when he was being physically assaulted. I sure as hell don't trust you to protect Rachel."

Before the fight could escalate, Rachel interrupted, "Who did you have in mind, Jesse?"

He glanced at her before grinding his teeth and straightening his back. "I was hoping Mike and Matt could do it."

There was a small pause before Matt echoed, "Mike and me?"

"Yes. Neither of you has verbally or physically assaulted Rachel. Now or in the past," he informed. "Which already puts you leagues ahead of any other member of this club." He turned to meet their eyes, "Unless something comes up, it'll only be on Thursday night. Her tap lessons finish before my ballroom ones. I won't be able to drive her home."

There was a brief pause as the two football players exchanged looks. After a moment, Mike asked, "When do they end?"

"Seven o'clock," Rachel answered. She turned in her chair, giving the two boys a small smile. "Thank you in advance."

"Oh..." Jesse watched Matt with the eyes of a hawk as he rubbed at the back of his neck and gave Rachel a nervous smile. It didn't seem flirty, and lord knew Rachel could use some allies in the club, but Finn had set him on edge. "It's no problem."

Before Jesse could say anything else, Mr. Schue was stepping into the room, "Sorry I'm late guys. Let's get started."

* * *

On Wednesday, seniors had a class meeting after school.

When Jesse made his way to the choir room afterwards, he was surprised to find it covered in toilet paper.

"What exactly happened here?" he questioned.

"Vocal Adrenaline," Rachel declared. Jesse's eyebrows rose. "They performed a sub par rendition of Another One Bites the Dust in our auditorium and when we came back the room was like this."

He made a soft sound as he made his way to her side. He reached over her, helping untangled the toilet paper at the top of the windowsill that she couldn't reach. "Everyone should be careful tomorrow."

"What?" Jesse glanced over at Kurt's exclamation. "You mean this wasn't it?"

"I can't be certain, but this is rather tame by their standards and it doesn't directly target Rachel or I. And, if I had to guess I'd say Giselle has taken over as lead and this would be woefully out of character for her."

Silence reigned as they continued cleaning the room.

It was broken by Matt saying, "Mike and I will make sure we get to the dance studio early tomorrow."

Jesse glanced over at him, a little bit surprised. While it was true that he trusted Matt and Mike more then the others, he hadn't necessarily expected them to care about whether or not Vocal Adrenaline got to Rachel. After a moment, he nodded. "I'd appreciate that."

* * *

"Oh god, Jesse, I am so sorry. We only left her alone because I couldn't carry all three slushees and we thought it would be fine since we could still see her out of the window and holy shit, I am so sorry."

Jesse's jaw clenched. When he'd seen Matt's name on his caller ID, he'd expected a quick call telling him that they'd gotten Rachel home fine. Not an immediate freak out implying the opposite.

"What happened?" he hissed. "Where is she?"

"She's in the bathroom with Mike," Matt answered.

Momentarily thrown, Jesse's only response was, "What? Why is Mike in the bathroom with her?"

There was a long pause before Matt said, "She needed help getting the egg out of her hair."

Jesse's fingers squeezed around his phone, the grip so tight it ached. "They egged her."

Even though it wasn't a question, Matt confirmed, "They egged her."

He took several deep breaths, trying to calm down. It didn't work.

"Take her home. Do not leave her alone. I'll be there are soon as I can."

His ballroom dance class didn't end for another thirty minutes, but Jesse picked up his bag and hightailed it out of the room.

* * *

He didn't knock before entering the Berry household.

Following the sound of the TV, Jesse made his way into the living room.

He stopped in the doorway, taking in the scene.

Mike, Matt, and Rachel were all seated on the floor with their backs against the couch. Rachel sat between the two of them, her hair damp and a tub of ice cream in her hands. Funny Girl played on the screen.

Part of him was glad he'd missed her tears. Part of him wished he'd been there for her.

"Rachel."

She looked up at his call.

"Jesse."

He crossed the room to her, crouching down in front of her. He reached out one palm and cradled her jaw in his hand. "I am so sorry I wasn't there."

"It's okay," she murmured. She turned, pressing her lips to his skin. "I'm fine."

"You're not." He could see it in the tense set of her shoulders and the redness rimming her eyes. "And that's fine. You're a vegan who just got egged." She flinched at his words. He pressed forward, placing a kiss against her forehead in apology.

They sat there in silence for a while before Mike piped in, "Not that I have anything against you guys, but can you sit down please, Jesse? You're in my way and I'm actually trying to watch this movie. It's not all that bad."

Jesse turned his head, watching the other boy for a moment.

He had expected Mike and Matt to leave as soon as he arrived, presuming they didn't want to spend anytime around Rachel.

Lately, he'd been wrong about a lot of things concerning those two.

"Yeah. Sorry."

He pulled Rachel forward a little. She seemed to understand what he wanted, because she came easily and moved so he could slid behind her.

When he was seated with her back against his chest and his arms around her waist, he buried his head against her neck.

He loved Funny Girl just as much as Rachel did, but he loved her infinitely more and every muscle in his body was still coiled tight with anger. He needed her close more then anything.

He took a deep breath, exhaling against her and feeling her shiver as his breath ghosted along her skin.

"I love you," he murmured.

Rachel went stiff for a moment, but then one of her hands reached back and curled into his hair. Her fingers scratched soothingly against his scalp as she whispered, "I love you too."

* * *

 **E/n:** Whew okay, rewriting Funk was a bit of a challenge. I wanted to keep the egging and Jesse's first I Love You but not, you know, at the same time. They aren't mentioned, but I did decide in my head that Puck and Finn do still slash VA's tires and the Funk number is still performed. It might not be the type of revenge he wanted, but I think Jesse would be somewhat satisfied with humiliating Vocal Adrenaline with a number they would never be able to perform.

Hopefully you guys like Cherry and Berryford friendship because I'm all about that. I'm pretty fond of PezBerry and Puckleberry friendships as well, but I'm unsure about them right now. It's not possible for Rachel to be friends with Puck currently, given the way it would make Jesse feel after the whole Run, Joey, Run fiasco and I'm unsure if I want to write PezBerry friendship into this.

I'm also unsure about whether I'm going to keep Matt when I transition into the next season, but that's a decision for another day I suppose.

Thank you for reading and a review would be much appreciated!


	6. Journey to Regionals

**Forever Has to Start Somewhere**

 **Chapter 6** : Journey to Regionals

* * *

"No one wants pizza?" Mr. Schue questioned, when he stepped into his living room to find a group of somber and silent teenagers.

Jesse leaned forward to grab a piece, having waited only because the manners he'd been taught dictated to wait for the host, only to stop. He glanced at Rachel, she was sitting in his lap with her arms looped around his neck, "You don't mind right?"

She shook her head.

He gave a quick peck on the lips, knowing that she wasn't a fan of kissing after he ate something that went against her vegan diet, before leaning over her to flip the pizza box open and slapping two pieces onto a plate.

Mr. Schue flashed him a small smile.

Jesse just shrugged.

He didn't really understand why his teammates were in such a sour mood, but he wasn't going to complain about it. Today was his cheat day, his day to eat like a normal high schooler and not the budding Broadway star he was, and he certainly wasn't going to complain if they were leaving more food for him.

"Alright then," Mr. Schue declared, giving a brief clap of his hands, "Let's get started. Thank you for coming to the first annual regional set list nominations."

"I don't really care what we sing," Jesse said, quick to speak before anyone else could, "but I want a solo or a duet with Rachel."

His words seemed to penetrate the fog that surrounded some of the club members because Finn sat straight. He bit out, "Why would we give you either of those?"

"You're new to the club," Kurt followed. "If regionals is going to be our last competition, the members the club who have been here the whole time deserve the solos."

"Regionals is not going to be your last competition," Mr. Schue insisted.

Jesse ignored him, answering instead, "I may be the newest member, but I'm also the oldest. I'm a senior. This is my last regionals competition regardless of whether New Direction's gets cut. Aside from that, my scholarship for UCLA is on thin-ice since Ms. Corcoran's connections are what secured it for me. She basically hates me now and I'm willing to bet she's pulling strings to get it pulled. I need to prove to them that I'm talented enough to risk being on her bad side. The only way I'm going to be able to do that is by singing the best I can and the only times I can sing without holding back are when I'm alone or with Rachel."

Ignoring the outrage that was bubbling around him, Jesse met Mr. Schue's eyes.

The teacher met his gaze.

Their stare down was interrupted by Santana saying, "Why do you even care so much, St. Jackass? They'll just pull your scholarship anyway when we lose."

"There's no guarantee we're going to lose. In fact, I'd say either of my suggestions would actually increase our chances of winning given that I'm a superb performer." Jesse turned his head to look at her, even as members of the group huffed at his arrogance. "Regardless, a loss doesn't necessarily mean the loss of my scholarship. Show choir is a team event. You don't win by yourself."

Finn huffed, "Aren't you the one always saying you carried Vocal Adrenaline single-handedly?"

"I am single-handedly responsible for the level Vocal Adrenaline was performing at," Jesse stated. "They suffer without me because they continue trying to perform at my level when they can't. However even without me, their natural performance level is higher then ours as the whole group works hard and gives it their all."

When no one argued any further, he took the opportunity to take his first bite of pizza.

If their prerogative was to clam up when told the truth, he wasn't going to object.

* * *

It was on the drive home afterwards that Rachel finally spoke.

He was singing along to the Rascal Flatts song playing from the stereo, the one of three country artists that he actually allowed in his vehicle, when she interrupted him.

"Do you really think we stand a chance?"

The next line of Mayberry died on his lips. He glanced at her, keeping one on the road flashing in front of them. She was staring out the passengers window, one knee drawn up to her chest and her arms locked around it. She looked fragile, and smaller then usual, in the glow of passing street lamps and moonlight

"I think so," Jesse murmured. He returned his gaze to the windshield. "Coach Sylvester is only one of the judges. Vocal Adrenaline doesn't have anyone that holds a candle to me, so their performances are either going to be a mess because their new male lead can't step up or far below their usual standards because even Shelby can't retrain them in a few weeks."

He heard her make a small sound of acknowledgment.

A few moments passed before she said, her voice softer then it had been before, "If I don't have glee club, I won't have anything to get me through a day in that school."

He reached over, setting his palm on her knee. She shifted her own hand to lace their fingers together without dropping her leg.

"You'll have me," Jesse murmured. He swiped his thumb against her knuckles. "Even if I'm in California, you'll have a beautiful boy waiting on skype to hear all about your day."

Her laugh was uneven and rough with unshed tears. But it was genuine and that was all Jesse cared about.

* * *

"Jesse, Rachel, can I speak to you two for a moment?"

The couple glanced at each other before joining Mr. Schue at the piano.

There was sheet music settled on top of it.

"Is this about my request the other night?" Jesse questioned.

Mr. Schue had announced they would be doing Journey at regionals, but hadn't given them any numbers other then Don't Stop Believing.

He didn't beat around the bush, stating directly, "My preference is to open with Rachel and Finn doing a duet of Faithfully, followed by Jesse doing a solo of Anyway You Want It, and ending with Don't Stop Believing." Jesse's arm tightened around Rachel's shoulders and Rachel traced a calming circle on the back of his hand. Mr. Schue's face softened a bit when he saw the gesture. "But, the two of you are good for each other. You accept the parts of each other that no one else understands and you support each other. I know the strain that would put on your relationship, so there's another option. That would be for the two of you to do the duet, followed by a mash-up for Anyway You Want It and Touching, Loving, Squeezing, then Don't Stop Believing."

Jesse looked down at Rachel.

A silent communication passed between them, then they said in unison, "We'll go with the first one."

Mr. Schue's eyebrows raised. He clearly hadn't expected them to have a decision so soon. "You're sure?"

"UCLA is important to me," Jesse said. "And recent events have made it clear that although Rachel wanted Finn first, I'm her choice now and I will be for the foreseeable future. I can handle watching her sing with him."

"It's like you said, Mr. Schue," Rachel followed, "we support each other. I support Jesse in his desire to go to UCLA. I can get over any discomfort singing a song such as Faithfully with Finn may cause me and put on an excellent performance."

He glanced between them for a moment before nodding. "Alright. Option number one it is then."

* * *

Jesse swept Rachel up in his arms as soon as they were off the stage.

She laughed, the sound bright and loud, as she clung to his shoulders and wrapped her legs around his waist

"We were fantastic!" he exclaimed. He spun them around, stepping further away from the stage as he did so instead of staying stationary. His performance high didn't allow for even that bit of lag. "Absolutely fantastic."

"Your solo was amazing," Rachel complimented.

There were beads of sweat dripping down her forehead and some of her hair was sticking to her skin. Her cheeks were flushed a rosy red from exertion. Her eyes were sparkling, though, and her mouth was split in a wide grin.

She was running on the same high as him.

This was more then their Hello in the music store with it's promise of more, more then Like a Virgin in her bedroom with all of the sexual tension hovering between them, more even then Total Eclipse of The Heart which had led them to pour their hearts out to each other.

This was the two of them under bright lights and in front of a crowd of people. This was them where they were meant to be, on a stage performing side-by-side.

They were so finely tuned to each other that every emotion, touch, and thought seemed to be shared between them. It connected them in a way which was vivid and intense.

"Your duet was amazing and your acting was just as superb as your singing." She pressed closer to him as he spun them again. "There wasn't a single person out there who didn't buy into it."

"Except you, right?"

"Except me," he agreed.

He halted his steps, surging forward and kissed a line from her earlobe to her jaw before taking her mouth. She returned the kiss with gusto, reaching up to twine her hands in his hair and wrapping her legs tighter around him.

They were so lost in the thrill of a performance, the rush of a real performance, that neither of them remembered their teammates until Puck let out a high whistle. He said, "That shit is hot."

There was a disgruntled noise, then Santana following with, "It figures this shit would get those two hot and bothered."

Jesse was aware, for the first time since they stepped off stage, of the rest of New Directions standing still and quiet around them.

He pulled away from Rachel's mouth.

When they separated they were both breathing heavily. Their lips were plump and bruised.

Everything between them was still bright and alive with the excitement of the stage, but the interruption had stolen some of the adrenaline. As it burned away, it left something warmer and more content in it's wake.

They leaned forward at the same time, pressing sweaty foreheads together. She murmured, "I love you."

Jesse's eyes drifted shut. "I love you too."

"Somehow," Kurt mused from behind them, "intruding on this makes me feel dirtier then that kiss did."

* * *

Quinn goes into labor soon after that.

Rachel and he are the only ones who stay to watch Vocal Adrenaline perform.

They sit in the audience with their hands clasped and their head bowed together as they critique the performance happening in front of them.

The bond between them feels more alive then ever.

* * *

Vocal Adrenaline wins.

New Directions doesn't even place.

Jesse doesn't stay it out-loud, but he knows it's solely on account of Coach Sylvester whispering into the ears of the other judges and possibly making a few threats.

The look on Shelby's face as she lifts the trophy made it clear that she knew it too.

* * *

There was no doubt in Jesse's mind that his performance of _Anyway You Want It_ was spectacular. More then enough to keep his scholarship locked down against whatever Shelby pulled to take it away from him.

The thing is, though, that UCLA was a dream that included a fourth national title and leaving everything in Ohio behind.

On the bus home, he turned to Rachel and asked, "Do you know what's a lot closer then California?"

"What?" she asked.

He wasn't sure if she was questioning his question or asking for the answer.

It didn't really matter.

"New York. And I just happen to have never officially turned down NYADA."

* * *

 **E/n:** Whew okay this chapter was a doozy to write. I am actually a little bit in love with it? Like I'm iffy on the beginning, but the rest of it I actually am super proud of it? I love the clash between the sweetness of the car scene and the passion of the scene after their performance.

I spent a lot of time considering what to do with Jesse and I hope you guys like my decision with NYADA? I'm thinking that while this is a rewrite and I'm going to be following the plot of season two after this, I would like to add Jesse in NYADA. Potentially in a friendship with Brody and Adam? Though I'm not sure Adam's age quite matches up. Let me know what you think on that?

On that note, before I go into the season two plot I'm going to do a chapter or two on the end of the school year and the summer.

Thats really all I have to say?

Review especially appreciated on account of this chapter being my baby, but favorites and follows are awesome too.


	7. Summer I

**Forever Has to Start Somewhere**

 **Chapter 7** : Summer I

* * *

Though Figgins hadn't disbanded the club following their regionals loss, Jesse stopped attending.

His last minute decision to attend NYADA instead of UCLA had left him scrambling. He had had to call his parents up, explain why he now needed their help with half his tuition, and negotiate with them on their terms for their payments. Then there had been forms for housing and signing terms for his scholarship. On top of that, he still had his school work, dance classes, and vocal lessons.

There simply wasn't enough time in the day for him to go to glee club, get his work done, and still see Rachel.

Glee club had been the natural sacrifice.

So, when Rachel requested his presence in the club room on his last day of school he was a little surprised.

"I haven't been in glee for a month," Jesse had said. "And I won't be here next year, so there's no point in putting me in any numbers you're practicing."

"That's not why I want you to come," Rachel answered. "There's something I want to show you. I know you have time to spare. Your vocal lessons don't start until five and you don't have any homework."

And since Jesse was absolutely wrapped around her finger, he found himself walking into the choir room at three thirty.

He was a little surprised to find the whole group, and Mr. Schue, waiting for him.

"What's going on?" Jesse asked, glancing around.

It was Puck who spoke, saying, "Look, St. James, you're an asshole and no one but Rachel really likes you, but if it hadn't been for Coach Sylvester you would have won regionals for us. We know it, you know it, I'm pretty sure Shelby Corcoran knows its. And we wanted to thank you for that."

"And," Mr. Schue picked up after sending a look at Puck, "you're one of us. Even if it was only for a short time."

"Every senior performer deserves to have a final performance," Rachel finished. She stepped forward, holding out a piece of sheet music. "It took some convincing, but Mr. Schue agreed to let us do it when I explained to him how important the role is to you."

He glanced down, scanning the paper for a title.

He gaped when he saw what it was. "You convinced him to let us do Totally Fucked?"

"Melchior is on your list." She set the paper on the top of the piano, knowing he wouldn't need it, and then made a sweeping gesture in front of her. "It's not a stage, the band has the auditorium signed out, but it's something."

He stepped forward without hesitation, "Let's do it."

* * *

The rest of the school year passed uneventfully.

Two weeks after singing Totally Fucked with the glee club, Jesse graduated dressed in McKinley high red instead of Carmel blue.

His parents didn't go, but his uncle was there with Rachel and her fathers sitting next to him.

That was really all he needed.

* * *

The first half of summer was a whirlwind of Rachel.

He was acutely aware that the days that he could spend with her were coming to a close.

He didn't have any intention of breaking up with her when he went to school, or ever if he was being honest, but New York was still six hours away.

When September rolled around, he wouldn't have their after school coffee dates, their less dominant hands intertwined loosely as they worked on homework. He wouldn't have Saturday mornings sitting on the floor of the music where they had met as they sung snippets from the music books surrounding them. He wouldn't be able to set his head on her lap when he was tired and drift off to the sound of her lullabies.

So he spent as much time with her as possible, soaking her in as much as he could before he had to go without her for weeks.

* * *

"Jesse," Rachel's words ghosted against the shell of his ear, "stop for a second."

Immediately, Jesse pulled his lips from her neck. He went to roll off of her, only to be stopped by her hands tightening around his arms.

"Rach?" he murmured. He had pulled back enough that he could look her in the eye. "I thought you wanted to stop?"

"I do, but not because I don't..."

She stopped. He watched as she sucked her bottom lip in, clasping it between her teeth.

"Don't do that," he chided. He shifted his weight onto one of his forearms, reaching his other hand to tug on her lip. When she released it, he cradled her jaw in his palm and let his thumb rest on her lower lip. "Don't hurt yourself. Just tell me what's going on."

She was quiet for a moment before saying, "I'm ready. I want to have sex with you."

His eyebrows flew up.

He let his eyes flicker across her face, looking for any hint of doubt. He didn't see any, but he hadn't seen any the last time she'd told him she was ready either. Swiping his thumb along her lip, he whispered, "Are you sure? Last time-"

"Last time was different."

He really didn't need her to tell him that. He wasn't sure why she had told him she was ready the first time, but he suspected it had something to do with Finn. And given how much their relationship recently, Jesse highly doubted Finn had any place in Rachel's decision this time.

"I want to," Jesse said. "I really want to, so don't think I'm saying this because I don't. But, Rachel, why?"

"Because you need it."

Anger welled up in Jesse's chest. He dropped his hand from her face. It hovered between them, him not wanting to box her back in by bracing it against the mattress but not knowing what else to do. "I'm not a saint, but I'm not Puckerman either. I don't need to have sex. I love you, Rachel, and I'm not going to cheat you on when I'm in New York just because we haven't had sex."

"Calm down," she murmured. Her hands slipped off his arms, coming up to cup his face instead. "I know you won't cheat on me. I wouldn't give my virginity to you just to make you stay with me."

"Then why are we having this conversation?" Jesse bit. "Why are you under the impression that I need it?"

"Because you do, but not for that reason." She took a deep breath before saying, "Jesse, you've been so weird this past month. It's like you think you're going to lose me the second you go to New York, like you think I'm going to slip between your fingers." When he went to speak, she shushed him. "You need something to prove to you that our connection isn't going anywhere and I'm ready to give that to you."

He couldn't deny that there was some truth to her words. Clingy wasn't a word that would ever be associated with Jesse St. James, but he had definitely been crowding Rachel more than usual since school had let out.

"I admit that might be true," he said after several silent moments. "But I am not taking your virginity just because I'm a little insecure about being away from you. When I told you that you deserved epic romance, I meant it."

Her fingers pressed into his skin, the touch still soft. "I've always said I would only give my virginity to the man I was going to marry."

He supposed that declaration should have freaked him out more then it did.

They were sixteen and eighteen. That kind of confession, especially when he knew Rachel would only marry someone she wanted forever with, should have sent him running for the hills.

Instead, it left him with a feeling like warm sunshine filling him.

"You're planning on marrying me?" he asked, voice softer then it had been before.

"Not until I've gotten a Tony. And you've gotten a Tony or a Grammy, I know you waver between what kind of music you want to pursue." Her smile was soft as she added, "We're an epic in progress, Jesse."

"We are," he agreed.

He swooped down to press their lips together. Her hands slid from his face to his hair as he deepened it.

When he pulled apart, he moved just far enough to talk. His lips brushed against hers, the contact feather light, as he murmured, "Do you still want to do this? Even with the argument in the middle of it?"

"Yes." She tightened her hands in his hair and wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him closer. "Yes."

* * *

Something inside Jesse loosened after their night together.

He supposed that was what Rachel had intended.

* * *

The second half of the summer passed just as quickly as the first.

He got invited to join her family's Wednesday movie night. Leroy shared the non-vegan treats that his partner and daughter didn't enjoy and started adding more Little Debbie products to the hauls when he learned Jesse preferred them to Hostess. Hiram pushed his turn to pick the movie back in order to insert Jesse into the rotation and tried to convince Jesse to wear more color everytime he saw him.

She joined him and his uncle for their Thursday night bonding sessions. His uncle had laughed so hard he'd almost fallen out of his seat the day Rachel beat the two of them at Texas Hold Em and learned that Rachel would only use a yellow ball when they went mini-golfing.

Some days were spent with the others from Glee. The two of them went to an Imagine Dragons concert with Matt and Mike, he went to her synagogue to her one Saturday and she and Puckerman had told him the dirty secrets of every member, and once he'd been recruited to carry bags for her when she went to the mall with Kurt.

He was glad she was becoming closer to them. Her having friends would make school easier on her.

The days that weren't spent with their families or growing circle of friends were spent with each other.

She traced lyrics into his skin with her fingers – _come be how you want to and see how bright we shine_ on his cheek when he was playing the piano, _the whole world has gone crazy, so baby why don't we just dance_ on his thigh when they sat side-by-side and waited for their dance classes to come off break, _I wanna sing all through the night_ between his shoulder blades when he laid shirtless in her bed. He mouthed them against her skin – _all I wanna do is hold you close and steal a little more time_ against her palm when he dropped her off after a date that went too late for him to come inside, _I know that you don't know it but you're fine so fine_ against the back of her neck when she frowned at something in the mirror, _I know I'm young but if I had to choose her or the sun I'd be one nocturnal son of a gun_ as he trailed kisses down her stomach.

In no time at all, it was the end of August and he had a one way ticket to New York city in his hands.

* * *

"You landed an hour ago," Rachel accused when she picked up the phone. "You were supposed to call as soon as you did."

Jesse shot a look at his uncle when he heard the man snicker. He said, "I did text you so you knew I wasn't dead."

"You were supposed to call."

"I know. I swear though, I only waited until we had dropped our stuff off at the hotel," Jesse answered. "We're leaving now to look for somewhere to eat."

He heard Rachel made a soft sound on the other end. Then said, "You're going to be great there."

"We're going to be great here," he corrected. "I just get a head-start."

He couldn't help the grin that spread over his lips when he heard her laughter. The last time he'd seen her she'd had tears on her cheeks as they said goodbye at the airport. It was nice to inflict a positive emotion on her after that.

"Only because I have entirely too much talent," Rachel answered. "If you didn't get a head-start, you wouldn't ever catch up."

"Maybe." He glanced over at his uncle, finding the man had turned his attention to looking at the buildings around them as they walked, before saying, "I love you."

"I love you too," Rachel said.

Even with six hundred miles between them, he didn't have any doubt in her words.

* * *

 **E/n:** WHEW! Okay, I was actually super worried this chapter would be too short but it ended up being the longest chapter yet.

I struggled a bit with whether or not to have Rachel lose her virginity, but ultimately decided I wanted to do. Or them to do it, I suppose?

The songs used in this chapter were: Rachel - as long as you're mine (Wicked soundtrack), why don't we just dance (josh turner), la la (the cab). Jesse - sweet thing (keith urban), treasure (bruno mars), cupids chokehold (gym class heroes).

Let me know what you think with a review and favorite/follow if your enjoying the story!


	8. Audition

**Forever Has to Start Somewhere**

 **Chapter 8:** Audition

* * *

"School starts tomorrow," Jesse declared. He was sprawled out on his dorm room floor, surrounded by textbooks and sheet music. He was ignoring it all in favor of resting his head on the open pages of his calculus book as he spoke into his phone. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," Rachel said. Jesse hummed softly. "Really, Jesse. I am fine."

"It's okay if you're nervous," he said. "This summer was great for you and school has never been."

"Sometimes, I think you ignore the words coming out of my mouth."

He chuckled softly. "That's because I know you well enough to know when they're lies."

Rachel took a deep breath.

Jesse let his eyes drift shut, listening to her breath.

He could see her lying in her bed, face down with her legs propped up in the air. She'd have pillow tucked between her elbows and her chest.

"I may be a little nervous," Rachel admitted. Jesse's lips quirked just a bit. "It's just...Like you said, this summer was good for me. I'm worried that when school starts, I'll lose everything I gained."

"You won't," he assured.

He practically hear her rolling her eyes. "You can't know that Jesse."

"I can," he said. "You are going to go to school tomorrow and you are going to have everything you had today. Kurt will still be irritating and bossy, Mike and Matt will still be creepily in-sync, Puck will still be a total softie under all his bravo, and I will still be here waiting for you to call and tell me all about it."

"I hope you're right."

"I always am."

The statement startled a laugh out of her. His small smile spread into a full grin.

He peeked one eye open, focusing on the alarm clock set up on his roommates desk.

"Rach, it's getting pretty late. You should go to bed."

He heard the creak of her bed as she shifted around. "Oh. You're right." She was quiet for a moment before murmuring, "Sing to me? It'll calm me down enough to sleep."

"Of course."

He let his eyes close again as he worked through the catalog in his head, figuring out which one would work best.

"Alright," Rachel said after a moment. "I'm ready."

He thought of her buried under her pink comforter, her phone on her pillow with the volume all the way up so she could hear him.

Affection filled his chest as he started singing, " _When life has cut too deep and left you hurting, the future you had hoped for it now burning and the dreams you held so tight lost their meaning and you don't know if you'll ever find the healing. You're gonna make it. You're gonna make it and the night can only last for so long."_

* * *

When he'd finished calming Rachel down from her tears, Jesse hung up. He pulled his phone away from his ear just long enough to punch in another number.

He heard the phone pick up and spoke before the person on the other end could, "My girlfriend is crying in the fucking auditorium because she thinks all of you hate her. Fix this, Chang."

Mike didn't miss a beat, exclaiming, "You can't expect us to act like she did nothing wrong."

"Actually, I do," Jesse answered. "Because she didn't."

"She sent a girl to a crack house!"

"An inactive one!" Jesse responded. He heard the squeak of the door opening and glanced over to see his roommate, Brody, walking in with a bag of cheetohs in his hand. "And she only did it in the first place because your club treats her like shit."

"You really that's an acceptable reason to send an innocent girl into a dangerous situation?"

Jesse flashed Brody a smile when he raised an eyebrow at him. To Mike, he said, "I think that Rachel is absolutely terrified that you guys are going to leave her alone and that all she'll have left is singing. I think that when confronted with the idea of losing her solos, she got rid of the competition like any serious performer would. And I think you reacted by getting angry at her and proving her right about your friendship."

Silence settled on the other end of the line.

Brody must have noticed because he took the chance to murmur, "Trouble?"

"A bit," Jesse answered. "Thought you had class?"

"Canceled. What's up with your girlfriend?"

Jesse didn't hesitate to tell Brody, "She got rid of her competition by sending a girl to an inactive crack house. Her friends don't understand."

"Could be worse," Brody mused as he popped his chips open. "I was never into show choir, but my dance team once drove the freshmen to the shady part of town and made them walk to their houses. One guy almost got stabbed."

Mike spoke now, interrupting the conversation, "Fine, I get it. Serious performers are crazy and don't care about others feelings."

Brody must have been able to hear him because he and Jesse spoke in unison, "Not really, no."

"Go to the auditorium," Jesse said. "Let her know that she still has friends. Have her call me when glee club ends."

He waited for Mike to let out an agreeing hum before saying goodbye.

"Your girlfriend sounds interesting," Brody said as Jesse tossed his phone onto his bed.

Despite his exasperation at the whole situation, because honestly couldn't New Direction's go even a week without drama?, Jesse couldn't help smiling. "Very. She's amazing and I love her all the more for it."

* * *

 **E/n:** This is one of the shorter chapters thus far but hopefully you all enjoy it. I couldn't think of anything else I wanted to add.

SO YEAH tho, Brody! I mentioned before that I wanted Jesse to be friends with him and Adam, so I made Brody his roommate. I think it's canon that Adam's exchange program is only for his senior year (That might be fanon im not sure) but we're gonna ignore that whenever I decide to introduce him.

The song Jesse sings to Rachel is The Sun Is Rising (Britt Nicole).

Review and favorite/follow if you enjoyed!


	9. BritneyBrittany

**Forever Has to Start Somewhere**

 **Chapter 9:** Britney/Brittany

* * *

"She doesn't want to do Britney because their names sound similar?" Jesse questioned. His eyebrows were knitted together in confusion as he walked down the street. His left hand held an iced caffè americano while his right held his phone to his ear.

"That's what she said," Rachel answered.

"That's..." Jesse licked his lips, searching for the word. "Very Brittany of her."

"Mmm."

He took a sip of his drink before asking, "So, what's your opinion on the Britney thing?"

"She's an icon and that fact is undeniable," she said without hesitation. "I certainly wouldn't turn down the opportunity to try my hand at one of her numbers. And while I can understand why Mr. Schue is against us covering her, we've definitely covered much more risque material."

He gave a soft hum and, remembering one of the stories she'd told him, offered up, "Push it?"

"Push it," she agreed.

"What Britney number would you do if Mr. Schue let you?" Jesse questioned.

"The others are in favor of some of her more upbeat songs. Toxic has been thrown around a lot." He heard a door shut on the other end of the line before Rachel added, "I think Sometimes or Lucky would be nice to try."

"Good choices, but not quite right for a school assembly."

"True enough, though I would argue Toxic is probably a little risque for a school function."

"I can't see Coach Sylvester letting that one slide, that's for sure." Jesse glanced at his watch before asking, "Are you at home?"

He heard Rachel make a soft sound. "Yes. I just walked in the door."

He smiled as he requested, "Sing for me? I'm going to be locked up in the library all afternoon trying to finish this paper. It'll help me power through."

"Your incorrigible," Rachel accused, though the words were teasing. "I sung for you last night."

"And I'll sing for you tonight," Jesse promised. "But you singing a Britney song happens to be relevant to the conversation."

"Fine, fine." There was silence for a moment as she prepared herself. Then her voice coming over the line, soft and sweet, " _You tell me you're in love with me, like you can't take your pretty eyes away from me. It's not that I don't want to stay, but everytime you come too close I move away."_

Jesse let his eyes close briefly as he listened.

In the back of his mind was the nagging thought that listening to his girlfriend sing about a girl being unable to commit to a man she loved shouldn't have been this relaxing.

He ignored it because he had complete faith in him and Rachel. They were each others perfect match and he knew that if for some reason they separated, it would only be a matter of time before she came back to him.

Though, he certainly hoped that never happened.

* * *

 _Kurt (Wednesday 8:43am):_

 _Have you seen what your girlfriend is wearing today?_

Jesse frowned at the text message.

It wasn't exactly unusual for Kurt to text him.

While Kurt was definitely closer to Rachel, they had spent a good chunk of the summer together and grew close. They traded haircare tips back and forth, the two of them cared a lot more about their locks than Rachel did, and commiserated over Rachel's penchant for dramatics which outmatched their own.

However, Kurt bringing up Rachel's clothing _was_ strange.

While Jesse knew Kurt hated majority of Rachel's wardrobe, Kurt also knew that Jesse was not nearly as fashion inclined as he was. As long as it was black and clean, Jesse would throw it on.

He pursed his lips before shooting back a series of question marks.

Kurt's reply came almost immediately.

 _Kurt (Wednesday 9:03am):_

 _Are you in public?_

 _You (Wednesday 9:04am):_

 _Why?_

 _Kurt (Wednesday 9:04am):_

 _Because, going by the reaction of the male population of McKinley high school, you might have an embarrassing problem to take care of once I show you._

Jesse's eyebrows raised.

He'd been expecting Kurt to go on a tangent about how horrible Rachel's outfit was, not to imply that whatever she was wearing was so sexy that it had turned on half the population of the school.

He wasn't exactly sure how he felt about that.

On one hand, Rachel was his girlfriend and he was an incredibly possessive person. On the other hand, Rachel's confidence could definitely use the boost and she would need experience in being seen as sexy for some of the roles she would encounter on Broadway.

Before he could think on it any further, his phone went off in his hands.

He thumbed open the message.

His throat when dry when he saw the picture Kurt had sent him.

Rachel was sitting at her desk with her legs crossed and her eyes focused ahead. She had a pen pressed against her lower lip. The outfit she was wearing wasn't too different from her usual, but it was much more naughty school girl than innocent.

He tore his eyes from the picture in order to message Kurt.

 _You (Wednesday 9:08)_

 _What happened?_

 _Kurt (Wednesday 9:09)_

 _Santana made fun of her clothes yesterday and she went to the dentist._

 _You (Wednesday 9:10)_

 _What does the dentist have to do with that?_

 _Kurt (Wednesday 9:12)_

 _Santana and Brittany had these Britney fantasies while they were there._

 _Rachel might have had one too._

 _I'll grill her at lunch and get back to you._

Jesse sent back an affirmative before scrolling back up the conversation to the picture.

He stared at it for a few more moments before pressing to save it.

It was a nice photo and Rachel looked extremely attractive.

There was no harm in keeping it around, especially when he hadn't gotten to see the look in person.

* * *

"No Britney?" Jesse questioned when Rachel's face filled his computer screen.

She was sitting in her desk chair, her legs pulled up to her chest and her arms locked around them.

Over the course of the week, she'd taken to staying in her Britney closed all day but now she was dressed in a pair of purple silk pajama shorts and one of his tee-shirts.

"No Britney," Rachel affirmed.

"Not that I'm that bent out of shape about it," he said as he shifted to lean against the palm of his hand, "especially since I quite like the look of you in my shirt, but why not?"

"For one, the assembly today was a complete disaster." She must have seen something curious in his expression because she tacked on, "I'll tell you about it later."

"Fair enough."

"Also because I realized I didn't want to take fashion advice from someone wears a cheerios uniform to school everyday." Rachel reached up, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "And, I like the way I dress. It might be a bit immature, but I think that's okay."

"It is," Jesse agreed. There was a brief moment where they both just smiled at each other. Then Jesse prompted, "So, tell me about the performance. What could be so bad it turned you off Britney completely?"

"Oh my god, Jesse, it was horrible! Coach Sylvester pulled the fire alarm on us!"

* * *

 **E/n:** Honestly I find the Britney episode so unsatisfying. I like the songs played in the episode, but I thought they were all the same basic type of song and they were all from the same Britney-era you know? She has so much they could have picked from.

Other then that, I don't really have much to say on this chapter. I like the way it came out but that's that.

Review and favorite/follow if you enjoyed!


	10. Grilled Cheesus

**Forever Has to Start Somewhere**

 **Chapter 10** : Grilled Cheesus

* * *

Jesse and Brody walked out of their dance class side by side. As they stepped into the sunshine, Jesse pulled his phone from his dance bag and punched in Rachel's number.

"J-Jesse," Rachel choked out when she answered her phone.

He halted his steps. He saw Brody take a few more before realizing Jesse wasn't still with him and turning around. "Rachel? Are you okay?"

"I-I'm fine." Her words weren't much of a comfort when they were sobs. "It's n-not me that's hurt."

"Someone's hurt?" Jesse's fingers curled around the edge of his phone. His mind raced through his friends and the possibilities. Something could have happened to Matt or Mike during football practice, Puck could have attempted something insanely stupid that he deemed badass, one of McKinley's bullies could have taken it too far with Kurt. "Who?"

"K-Kurt's dad is in the hospital."

Jesse's blood seemed to turn to ice as he registered her words.

Rachel and he had spent a fair amount of time at the Hummel household with Kurt over the summer. Burt wasn't always there, but when he was he had been nothing but kind to the teenagers invading his home. He had complained the first time they had dinner over and no meat was served, but never brought it up again after finding out Rachel was a vegan. He offered praise whenever any of them – usually Kurt and Rachel – burst into song and his only request was that their dancing stay off the furniture – though he hadn't complained when Rachel and Mike tangoed across the long coffee table while listening to Tango Maureen. When he found out Jesse's parents were largely absent from his life and Puck's father had bailed years ago, he had offered both of them his own ear for their worries.

"Fuck." Jesse could feel his eyes stinging. He reached up with his free hand to wipe at them. "Is he okay? What happened?"

"Heart attack. He's alive but in a coma. They don't know when he's going to wake up."

Brody must have noticed Jesse's distress because he looped back instead of waiting in front of him like he had been.

"Fuck," Jesse repeated. "What about Kurt?"

"He's devastated obviously. G-Glee club is going to the hospital after school to check on him."

"Where's he staying? He can't stay in that house by himself. It'll drive him insane."

"He's at Carol and Finn's for now."

"Okay. Okay. I'll start looking for a ticket and be there-"

"No. Don't do that." Jesse's mouth snapped shut. He was about to object when Rachel spoke again, "Kurt's not handling this well. The last thing he needs is more people crowding around him and reminding him that he could lose his dad."

He pushed a hand through his hair, ignoring that it was damp and sticky from the sweat he'd worked up during his dance class. "Fine. But you'll keep me updated?"

"Absolutely."

Jesse calmed himself down by listening to her breath for a few moments. Then he murmured, "I love you."

"I love you too." He heard someone speak in the background. "I have to go."

"Alright. Call me later."

"I will."

When Jesse had hung up, Brody said, "Something happen?"

"Someone I care a lot about had a heart attack," Jesse answered. He took a deep breath. "I think I'm going to just head back to the room for today. I can't-"

"Yeah. Go ahead." Brody placed a hand on his shoulder, "I'll take notes for you in the classes we share."

"Thank you."

* * *

The room was pitch black and Jesse laid on the floor.

He'd have to make sure to push himself up into his bed later, Brody had gone to a party and was almost certain to trip over him he didn't, but for now he sat with his head on the carpet and his phone to his ear. Relief loosening his limbs.

"They're keeping him for the weekend, just to be sure everything's okay," Rachel informed, "and he's gotta take a few weeks off work, but he should be home by Monday."

"I'm glad." Jesse stared up at the ceiling, gaze lost in the inky blackness that hovered above him. He let out a soft breath. "I'm really, really glad."

"I know."

Jesse licked his lips before saying, "You haven't sung to me since last week."

"There hasn't been room for a song in our conversations," she answered. "Did you want one now?"

"No," he said after a moment of thought. "But I do want to sing with you. I have just the duet in mind."

"Alright then."

He closed his eyes. He thought about how angry he'd been that a man as good as Burt Hummel had almost been taken from the planet and how the world had almost handed Kurt one more label – 'orphan' –, one more hardship he didn't deserve.

He thought about the fact that he'd been spinning with sadness and Rachel's phone calls had been a beacon of light through it all. They were mostly updates on Burt's condition, but they helped ease the tension in Jesse's body.

" _Our planet is poison, the oceans, the air_ ," Jesse sung softly. " _Around and beneath and above you_."

Rachel didn't miss her cue. She cut in smoothly, _"Um, Jesse, that's true and I totally care-"_

" _I'm trying to tell you, I love you."_

" _What?"_

" _The world is at war, filled with death and disease. We dance on the edge of destruction. The globes getting warmer by deadly degrees."_

" _And this is one fucked up seduction."_

 _"This planet is pretty much broken beyond all repair, but one thing is working if you're standing there."_ He forced all of his feelings into his words, trying his hardest to convey how he felt. " _Perfect for you, I could be perfect for you. I might be lazy, a loner, a bit of a stoner, it's true. But I might be perfect, I'll make myself perfect, perfect for you. You square all the corner, I straighten the curves_."

" _You got some nerve, Jesse, and I'm just all nerves."_

" _But even if everything else turns to dirt."_

When their voices came together, Jesse knew she understood what he was trying to say. He knew that she felt the same way _. "We'll be the one thing in this world that won't hurt."_

" _I can't fix what's fucked up. But one thing I know I can do...I can be perfect for you."_

" _I can be perfect for you."_

Their voices came together again, " _Perfect for you._ "

* * *

 **E/n:** So I try not to let the singing story get too out of hand because that's a major pet peeve of mine - when a glee story says it has say 1500 words but half of those are lyrics not story - but I couldn't find a good point to cut perfect for you off the way I have with the other songs in this story. Jesse needed to get it out - to express that the world kinda sucks but Rachel makes it better.

On that note, I have a question for you guys! Do you guys like the way I'm doing this story so far? That being, it coming from Jesse's point of view + without any major retelling of the events at McKinley? Or would you prefer for me to write a bit from Rachel's side of things and show how things have changed inthe episode rather then just telling or alluding to them?

The song in this chapter is "Perfect for You" from Next to Normal

Review and follow/favorite if you enjoyed!


	11. Duets

**Forever Has to Start Somewhere**

 **Chapter 1** **1** : Duets

* * *

"Rach...are you sure you wanna do this duet with me?" Rachel looked up from the pile of CDs in her hand, directing her gaze to Matt who hovered around her dresser. He had his hands shoved into the pockets of his jeans and his eyes locked on his shoes.

"Well, honestly, Noah would have been my first choice. This would have been a good chance to try out _You Don't Buy Me Flowers._ However, seeing as he's gotten himself thrown into juvie that's impossible. And after him, I would have chosen Kurt, but he wanted to work with Sam." Seeing something similar to hurt cross his face, she added, "My choices aren't because there's a problem with you, Matthew. It's simply that you've never stepped up in Glee before so I thought you were uninterested."

"Singing in front of the whole room kind of freaks me out," Matt admitted. He reached behind and rubbed at the back of his neck. She had noticed over the course of their friendship that it was what he did when he was feeling uncomfortable. "I can't dance like Mike or sing like Kurt or play guitar like Puck..."

"Mike may be our best dancer, but you are a close second, Matthew," Rachel complimented.

"That's not true," Matt objected sheepishly. "Brittany has me beat for sure."

"She's a very good dancer in her own right, but I personally prefer you." Reaching the disc she wanted, Rachel unfolded her legs and stood up. She crossed the room to the stereo behind him. "Though it being a duet and not a solo number should ease some of your discomfort over being in the spot light for the first time, I took care to pick a song that I believe will draw more attention to me than you."

His gaze flickered to her, surprise etched into his features. "You already picked a song for us?"

"I have one in mind, yes. Though you are free to let me know if you're uncomfortable with it."

"Alright..."

There was a moment of silence as Rachel flipped to the correct track on the CD.

Then the first notes of the song flowed through her room.

She saw Matt's eyes widened as he recognized it. He met her eyes as he questioned, "You want me to sing this song with you in glee?"

"Yes. It's the type of music you and Mike enjoy right?"

"It's the type of music most teenagers enjoy," Matt corrected. He added, "It's also the type of song your boyfriend will kill me for singing with you."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Jesse won't have a problem with it."

"He will," Matt insisted. "Did you see the way he treated Finn?"

"Finn has made multiple attempts at swaying my affections away from Jesse. You, on the other hand, are my friend and haven't tried to do such a thing. Surely you see how the situations are different?"

"I mean, I see it, but will Jesse?"

Rachel heaved another sigh. "If it will make you feel better, I'll run my idea by Jesse when I talk to him tonight and have him call to tell you that the song choice is fine."

"It would help," Matt admitted. They were quiet for a minute before he added, tentatively, "You really think we can win with this song?"

"I don't think anyone is going to win to be honest." When Matt fixed her with a questioning look, she explained, "We'll all end up voting for ourselves. Mr. Schue may act as a tiebreaker, but it's equally possible he'll just leave it as a tie."

"Oh. So this will all end up being for nothing?"

"Not exactly. Sam is a good singer and it's never bad to have extra members, but he doesn't really know how glee club works. With Puck in juvie, you and Mike are going to need to step up. This competition is a good way to get you guys more comfortable."

"Huh..." After a moment, Matt asked, "So you don't think we can win, but do you at least think we'll do well?"

Rachel felt some of her exasperation from their disagreement about Jesse fade. A wide grin spread over her face. "Oh, Matthew, I wouldn't have suggested this song if I thought we were going to be anything less then fabulous."

* * *

"So," Jesse said when Matt picked up the phone, "I hear you think I'm going to jump you."

"I'm not scared that you're going to jump me," Matt insisted. "I'm just a bit weary of you flying off into a jealous rage."

"Well, I admit that I am feeling some jealousy towards you."

"Enough to punch me in the face next time you see me?"

Jesse let out a low chuckle. "Of course not. Just jealous enough to ask that you have someone record the performance. I'd like to see Rachel in the costume she has picked out."

Matt groaned. "She showed you that?"

"She wanted an opinion on it. She said you were too busy theorizing on where I was gong to dump your body to offer one." Jesse could practically hear Matt's hesitation. He let out a sigh before saying, "I really don't care that you're singing the song with her, Matt. With the path the two of us are on, I'll have to put up with a lot more then her dancing a bit promiscuously with someone that doesn't have any interest in taking her from me."

Matt was quiet for a minute before murmuring, "I see what you did there with the wording."

"I thought you'd appreciate it." He asked, "We're okay, then? You aren't worried about this anymore?"

"We're good," Matt confirmed. "I'll make sure Mike records it for you."

"Much appreciated."

* * *

 _Mike (Wednesday 4:03pm)_

 _Rachel+Matt performance. Watch till the end._

 _She's with Kurt now. Don't call until you calm down._

Jesse raised an eyebrow when he read the message. He'd seen the performance before and there hadn't been anything in it that was particularly upsetting.

He hummed curiously as he clicked on the video, letting it fill the screen of his phone.

He smiled when it loaded up to show Matt and Rachel standing in front of the choir room. Matt wore his usual clothes, jeans and his letterman. Rachel, however, was dressed in dark jeans with a white belt looped through them and a white shirt that cut off midway down her stomach. The sleeves were long and flared out around her arms.

Jesse admired her as the first notes of _Promiscuous_ started playing.

Matt, he realized, was actually a fairly decent singer. He was tense as he started the song, but as time passed he loosened. By the end of it, he was grinning as Rachel danced around him.

Jesse added him to the list of people in the club who would make a better male lead then Finn Hudson – along with Kurt and Puck.

As the performance came to an end, Jesse noted that the video still had several minutes left.

He wasn't entirely surprised when Schue told Matt and Rachel that the performance had been nice, but not exactly school appropriate. Rachel had been quick to respond that just two weeks ago, they had been performing Toxic at a school assembly and that had been much more sexual than the current number.

Santana opened her mouth, spewing out insults, and the room erupted into it's usual pandemonium.

Jesse didn't understand why Mike had sent him the fight, it really wasn't anything new and Jesse wasn't particularly upset by anything being said, until Finn opened his mouth.

"It's like St. James has turned you into some kind of slut!" Finn screamed, cutting over the arguments of his other club members.

Jesse's vision went red and his grip tightened on his phone. He hissed out, "I'm going to fucking kill him."

* * *

"Kurt and I performed a duet for the club today," Rachel informed.

It was Friday night. Jesse was sitting cross legged on his bed while Rachel was situated at her desk. There was a plate of food on her lap. They'd decided to Skype while she ate since her fathers were out of town and she didn't want to eat alone.

"Oh?" he questioned. "Why? The competition is over, isn't it?"

"Kurt didn't get to do a duet," Rachel said. "Since we both had our performances ruined by Finn Hudson, I offered to sing one with him."

Jesse simmered at Finn's name. "He's incredibly lucky I'm in New York. If I were closer, I would kick his ass for talking to you like that."

"And I'll tell you the same thing I told Matt and Mike," Rachel responded in a tone that portrayed just how many times she'd given this speech since Wednesday, "I don't believe in physical violence. Not even as a method to defend my honor." He gave a noncommittal hum. She looked up from her plate to catch his eyes. "Jesse."

He gave a sigh. "Rachel, I know what you believe. But that doesn't mean I'm going to let him get away with making disparaging comments about you or our relationship."

After a long moment, Rachel gave a small nod. "I understand where your coming from even if I don't agree with the method of retaliation."

"That's enough." He leaned back in his chair. "It's my turn to sing isn't it?"

"Yes."

He said, "You are definitely not a slut, Rachel Berry, but I do enjoy your body."

She quirked an eyebrow.

Jesse just smiled at her as he pulled the first lines of the song to mind. He started singing, " _We got this afternoon. You got this room for two. One thing I've left to do. Discover me, discovering you. One mile to every inch of, your skin like porcelain. One pair of candy lips and your bubblegum tongue. And if you want love, we'll make it. Swimming a deep seat of blankets. Take all your big plans and break 'em. This is bound to be a while. Your body is a wonderland. Your body is a wonderland."_

* * *

 **E/n:** I think I mentioned in an end note that I decided to keep Matt, but I hadn't gotten to use him yet. I decided the duet competition was a good time since Finn was clearly not an option.

I also tried out doing a little Rachel POV for you guys? Most of you said that you'd enjoy it, but enjoyed the story the primary POV being Jesse. So I'm thinking I might stay with Jesse and occasionally do a little Rachel. Hopefully that won't seem too out of the blue when it happens.

Songs in this chapter: Promiscuous (Nelly Furtado and Timbaland) & Your Body is a Wonderland (John Mayer)

Review and favorite/follow if you enjoyed!


	12. The Rocky Horror Glee Show

**Forever Has to Start Somewhere**

 **Chapter 1** **2:** The Rocky Horror Glee Show

* * *

"Rocky Horror is certainly in season," Jesse drawled as he walked up the dorm stairs. His backpack was slung over his shoulders. He was holding his phone to his ear with one hand while his other held the drink he'd picked up from the Starbucks on campus. "But, isn't it a little risque for a high school production?"

"That's what I said," Rachel answered. "Mr. Schue said he was going to make some cuts in order to make it more appropriate."

"Why though? Wouldn't it be less trouble to just pick a different production?"

"I think it has something to do with Ms. Pillsbury," Rachel confessed.

Jesse pushed the door to the third floor open with his back as he questioned, "What makes you think that?"

"She's working as our costume director. She seems to really love the show."

"Didn't you tell me she was dating a dentist?"

"She is. It appears that her relationship status hasn't deterred Mr. Schue any."

"No wonder Finn's his favorite student then," Jesse said with a snort. "They share a similar disrespect for relationships."

"Jesse..." Her voice was a low warning.

"Right, sorry. I forgot I'm not supposed to insult people no matter how much they deserve it." He heard her let out a soft sigh, but she didn't raise any objection. "New topic then?"

"Well, I was hoping you would indulge me."

He raised an eyebrow even though she couldn't see it. He reached his room and pinned his phone between his shoulder so he could dig his keys out of his pocket. "How so?"

"Janet's only solo will likely get cut. I was hoping you would let me sing it for you."

He ran through the Rock Horror soundtrack in his head. He latched onto what song she was talking about right as he pulled his keys from his pocket. They fumbled in his hand and crashed to the floor as he choked out, "You want to sing Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch Me?"

"Yes. I rarely get the chance to sing songs like that. I'd benefit from the experience."

Jesse resisted the urge to groan as he bent to pick his keys back up. He wondered if Rachel had any idea what she was doing to him.

As his fingers closed around the cold metal of his key-chain, he said, "Alright. But this doesn't count as part of our rotation."

"Of course not."

* * *

"I'm not comfortable with it!" Finn argued. Rachel hugged the script close to her chest and watched as he paced in front of her. "I can't just strip down to my tighty-whiteys in front of the whole school!"

"Why not?" she questioned. "Sam is more than comfortable with it and-"

"I'm not Sam!" Finn interrupted. "I don't have the blonde hair or the abs of steel or-"

Rachel cut in this time, "There's more then one type of attractiveness. Just because you don't look like Sam doesn't mean you aren't attractive."

"Clearly I'm not!" Finn screeched. "If I was then Quinn wouldn't have cheated on me and you wouldn't have left me!"

Rachel felt anger flare up in her. She took a step towards him and hissed, "Do not blame your lack of self confidence on Quinn or I! I don't condone what she did in the least, but the fact of the matter is that Quinn cheated on you because you cheated on her."

"I did not-"

"We kissed while you were dating her! Multiple times!" Rachel reminded him. She didn't stop there. "And I did not leave you for Jesse! _You_ dumped _me_ , Finn! If either of us were to gain self confidence issues from that whole situation, it should have been me! You broke up with me to go out with two girls who make my high school career a living hell! Not to mention the several disparaging remarks you made about my character!"

"I realized my mistake!" Finn shouted. "I tried to come back to you and you had already moved on! I went on one date with them while you were already in a relationship! It was like nothing we had even mattered to you!"

"Because it doesn't!" Rachel's words were enough for Finn's mouth to click shut. They stared at each other, her chest heaving from screaming and his eyes shining with hurt. She took a deep breath and spoke again. "What we had doesn't matter to me, Finn, because you didn't give it time to grow into something that could have mattered. And I refuse to let you blame that on me."

Once she finished speaking, Rachel felt as though a weight had been lifted off her chest. She was in love with Jesse and Finn had been nothing but a passing memory since Total Eclipse of the Heart, but that hadn't erased everything that had happened between them.

"Find a way to get comfortable with the scene, Finn. You've already made the commitment," Rachel said. She turned away from him, grabbing her bag on her way. "I'll see you at glee tomorrow."

* * *

Jesse leaned over to press accept on the incoming skype call before turning his attention back to Brody.

As he fussed with the other boys' shirt, Rachel said, "You didn't tell me you're costumes matched."

"They didn't originally," Brody said. He turned his head to the computer screen and grinned. "Hey, Rachel!"

"Hello Brody," Rachel greeted. "You make a very dashing Captain Hook."

"And I am a rather charming Peter Pan, aren't I?" Jesse said. He turned his lips up in his most charming smile and directed it her way.

She laughed. "Of course."

"So what are your plans tonight, Rachel?" asked Brody. "Considering I'm dragging your man out for the night."

"I'm having some friends over in an hour or so. We're going to watch some horror movies since none of us had time to get costumes ready."

"Who's all going?" Jesse questioned. He pulled away from Brody, eyeing the shirt from a distance. He gave a small nod when he deemed the ruffles looked much better now then they had before.

"Kurt, Matthew, and Michael," Rachel said. "I think Michael might be bringing Tina with him, but I'm not quite sure."

"Sounds fun," Jesse said. He turned his attention to her. "Stay inside, please. The idiots at your school will no doubt be out and causing more trouble than usual tonight."

"We will," Rachel agreed. She gave him a small smile. "You two are going trick or treating around the dorm right?"

"Yeah. Apparently the RA's set it up every year," Brody informed. "I'm dragging him out to a party across campus after."

"Have fun," she said. "And be safe if you drink."

"Careful, Rachel," Brody teased, "someone might think you're the older one in the relationship."

"You only say that because you've never seen her execute a storm out," Jesse advised. "We've gotta get going."

"Alright. I really only called to see your costume."

Jesse gave a small hum. As Brody started walking towards the door, Jesse said, "I love you."

"I love you too," Rachel responded. "Have a good night."

She kissed the palm of her hand and blew him a kiss.

It instilled a little more happiness in him then he should have.

He kissed two of his fingers to return the gesture before ending the call.

"Hurry up, casanova!" Brody called from the doorway. "You'll see her in person in three weeks!"

Jesse closed the laptop before following after him. "Thanksgiving is way too far away."

* * *

 **E/n:** Okay, so originally I struggled with this chapter but once I got started I found i really liked the direction it was going in?

Hopefully Rachel and Finn's confrontation didn't seem too out of place? I thought that scene seemed like a good place to air out any lingering feelings between them. I'm not saying Finn won't do anything - because I am honestly a huge sucker for Finn drama - but I think Rachel's feelings on the matter had to be made clear.

Also, I want to address the Brody and Rachel interaction. It is completely platonic. I'm sure most of you know that, but just incase anyone thought Brody was flirting with her or something...It's not like that? It's just that they're friends. Brody lives with Jesse and has undoubtfully been subjected to listening to many of his conversations with Rachel, and joined a few when he wasn't doing anything else.

Review and favorite/follow if you please!


	13. Never Been Kissed

**Forever Has to Start Somewhere**

 **Chapter 1** **3** : Never Been Kissed

* * *

"I just wish I knew what to do," Rachel confessed.

Jesse gave a soft sigh, pushing his hand through his hair. "Rach, I'm not sure there is anything you can do. It's one thing for you to stand up against Quinn or Santana. They mostly just fling words and you're roughly the same size. It's a completely different situation for Kurt to handle a bully that's twice his size and getting physical."

"I know, but I feel like I can't even be there for him," Rachel said. "I can't understand where he's coming from because our situations are completely different."

"Have you thought about talking to your dads?" Jesse questioned. He glanced around as he stepped into the auditorium, looking for a familiar face to sit near. They were doing performances for one of his classes today and Jesse wanted to make sure he was sitting near someone who was used to the way he muttered criticisms under his breath.

"I know it's selfish considering Kurt really needs help, but if I tell them about him they might figure something out about me. I don't want them to worry."

"Selfish, yes," Jesse agreed. "But also understandable."

In the front rows of the auditorium, Jesse spotted dirty blonde hair poking out of a gray beanie.

Brody and Jesse had met Adam at the party they'd attended, which he was attending dressed as a male Tinkerbell, and the three of them had laughed over their matching costumes.

The three of them had clicked instantly and they'd spent most of the night talking, which Jesse was secretly grateful for since he really hadn't been looking forward to trying to lug Brody back to their room.

As he made his way down the stairs, one very important fact about Adam stood out in Jesse's mind.

"Hey, Rach, I might have thought of a solution to your problem," Jesse said.

"How exactly?"

"Can't tell you yet. I've got to find a way to ask someone to be a gay Yoda for a random teen in Ohio without getting punched first."

"Jesse?" Rachel questioned. Her voice was tinted with concern. "You can't get punched! Your face is an asset!"

A laugh bubbled out of Jesse's throat. "I'm glad you think so. I've got to go now before my lecture starts. Love you."

"Love you too," Rachel returned. "Be careful!"

"Will do." He said a quick goodbye as he reached the row Adam was sitting in. He took a moment to consider his options. On one hand, it was probably best to just get the situation over with. On the other, he really didn't want to risk offending Adam in front of their whole class or going on stage with a bruised cheek. Mind made up, he waked down the row, calling out, "Hey, Adam, do you wanna go out for coffee after class? There's something I need to talk to you about."

* * *

Adam stared at Jesse as he took a sip of his java chip frappuccino.

Jesse toyed with the straw of his own drink, his usual iced caffè americano, as he fidgeted under Adam's gaze. He wasn't usually nervous under pressure, but he understood how badly what he had asked could be taken and fighting wasn't really his thing. He could hold his own in a fight, yes, but when it came to confrontation he preferred a sing off.

"So," Adam said, speaking for the first time since Jesse had made his request. He set his drink on the table between them, "You want me to call up some kid I've never met and give him advice on how to be gay?"

"It's not quite like that," Jesse denied. "It's just that Kurt is going through a lot and none of us can really understand him. I just want him to have someone to vent to that can at least understand the discrimination he's facing."

"And you're asking me to be that person?" Adam asked.

"Yes." Jesse leaned back, licking dry lips. "Look, I know it's weird to ask that of you. But I promise, I'm not just asking this of you because you're the only gay guy I've met here."

"How is that even possible?" he mused. "We're at a performing arts school. I'm pretty sure you're the minority here."

A small smile quirked at Jesse's lips. "And here I thought _I_ was stereotyping." Adam gave a small shrug of his shoulders. "Honestly, though, I think you'll like Kurt. We're all similar people."

They settled into silence.

After a few more sips of his coffee, Adam nodded, "Give me his number. I'll at least see if we get along."

"Thank you. Seriously."

* * *

Kurt's body slammed into the locker. He stared after Karofsky as the older boy stalked away.

Blaine's text swam in front of his eyes ' _Courage'._

At the same time, he remembered the other boy who had been giving him advice on the situation.

Adam had been livid when Kurt had relied Blaine's advice about standing up to Karofsky.

' _I'm not saying you shouldn't stand up for yourself,'_ Adam insisted, _'but if you push him the situation will keep escalating. He may do more than just shove you into lockers and none of us want that.'_

Kurt took a deep breath before walking in the direction opposite Karofsky.

He certainly wasn't going to let Karofsky keep pushing him around, but he wasn't about to start a fight with someone twice his size either. He'd figure out a way to handle the situation without putting himself at risk.

However, that was a problem to deal with later.

Right now his face ached where it had slammed against the locker and he could feel tears prickling in the corners of his eyes.

He dug his phone out of his pocket as he slipped around the corner, making his way to the double doors which would lead to the back parking lot. The stoners were the only people who wandered out there during school hours so it would be mostly secluded and no one who saw him out there was likely to remember seeing him.

He clicked on the contact that hadn't been in his phone for very long, but had already offered him more strength and support than even his friends could.

"Hullo?"

"Adam," Kurt choked out. He felt the first few tears fall from his eyes as he stepped into the sunshine. "Do you have time to talk?"

"I don't have class for a few hours," Adam assured. "Although, I certainly hope you aren't planning on skipping class for that long. School's important, love."

The laugh that fell from Kurt's lips were somewhere between a watery chuckle and a sob. "I wasn't planning on that. I just needed someone to talk to for a few minutes who would understand."

"Well, I am at your disposal then."

"Thank you," Kurt said. "I know you're doing this for Jesse-"

Adam interrupted, "It started out that way, yes. But I do genuinely enjoy your company Kurt. I wouldn't have kept answering your phone calls or texting you if I didn't."

"That's nice to know."

"Certainly. Now, tell me what happened and I'll tell you how stupid whoever did it was."

* * *

 **E/n:** So here's the dealio right: me? Not a huge blaine fan tbh. Klaine was good for a hot second in season two, season three made blaine into someone i actually couldn't stand, and season four was legit my last straw when it came to him. But I am debating whether I wanna do beginning Klaine with Adam just encouraging Kurt in his relationship for a while, or if I wanna go for klaine friendship and slowly build into a kadam relationship. Either way this story is gonna have some lovely kadam bc Adam Crawford actually treats Kurt like royalty and wow that is exactly how my baby deserves to be treated?

Your opinion on that matter would be appreciated readers.

On that note, I hope you guys aren't too turned off by this chapter not having a particular focus on St. Berry? I feel like **Never Been Kissed** is an episode that Rachel is pretty much eliminated from when you take our her relationship with Finn. I worked in her friend with Kurt and put a heavy focus on that side of the episode, but I hope it didn't come off too different from previous chapters?

And! Just in case: the second section and the third section are a few days apart. It's not as though Adam and Kurt are talking for the first time. it's still a little sudden since they've only been talking for two-three days max but still.

Okay! This end note is getting entirely too long.

Review and favorite/follow if you enjoyed!


	14. The Substitute

**Forever Has to Start Somewhere**

 **Chapter 14:** The Substitute

* * *

Brody took one step into the room and then stopped. "Jesse. You are wearing a surgical mask."

"It's flu season," Jesse defended. "I can't risk getting sick and having something happen to my voice."

"I could understand wearing the mask outside, but you're in our room," Brody declared. Overcoming his surprise at the sight of Jesse sitting on his bed with a surgical mask over his face and his laptop in his lap, he tossed his dance bag into the corner and walked into the room.

"Half of your ballet class is out sick," Jesse deadpanned.

"How do you even know that?"

"Details." Jesse shrugged. "You should be more careful too, you know. Do you know what illness can do to a dancer's body?"

"Yes actually. Because I've been sick before and I recovered as people tend to do," Brody said. He leaned back against the dresser on his side of the room. "Does your girlfriend know you're this crazy?"

Jesse's lips pursed. He looked up from his laptop to meet Brody's eyes and the dancer was surprised to see the faint trace of anger in his eyes. Jesse said, "Rachel had laryngitis last year. She spent a week without her voice and it was the single most terrifying experience of her life. I absolutely refuse to risk making her feel even half of the hopelessness I felt back then."

Brody felt a spike of guilt shoot down his spine.

He didn't talk to Rachel a whole lot, but even he could tell how much her singing meant to her. He also knew how exactly how much Jesse cared for Rachel.

He couldn't imagine watching someone he loved lose something that meant that much to them.

"Oh. Fuck, I'm sorry, Jess. I didn't mean to bring up a bad memory."

Jesse stared at him for another moment. He sighed after a moment. "No. I'm sorry I snapped at you. It's just been a rough day."

"Wanna talk about it?"

"There's not really anything to talk about," Jesse dismissed. "Rachel's glee instructor went home with a fever bad enough that he was hallucinating so I'm worried about Rachel. Half this campus is coughing on every surface or puking their guts out so I'm worried about myself. And I still have three papers to write and a performance on Wednesday before I can even consider packing for Thanksgiving break."

"Oh." Brody searched for something to say. He came up with, "That really is a shitty day."

Jesse let out a shocked laugh. "For sure."

* * *

"Have you heard about this tater tot thing?" Adam questioned.

Jesse raised an eyebrow at the blonde as he flopped into the seat beside Jesse. "What tater tot thing?"

"Apparently McKinley's principle banned tater tots and Mercedes is leading some sort of rebellion," he said. "Kurt's been talking about it all week."

"No," Jesse said with a shake of his head. "Rachel's been a bit more concerned about the substitute taking over glee club and I've been a bit too concerned with trying to keep us both healthy despite the distance."

Adam glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. He pointed at the surgical mask over Jesse's face, "Is that what is about?"

"You know, the mask was actually the first thing Brody said to me. You are surprisingly calm about it."

"I've had Kurt talking to me about a tater tot rebellion," Adam repeated. "I don't think anything else I see this week will top that insanity."

"Mm." Jesse's lips curled up in a smirk even though he knew Adam couldn't see it. "You and Kurt have been talking then?"

"Yes. You were right about us getting along."

"I'm right about most things." Jesse faced forward again. He pressed his lips together as he stared at the stage. "What do you think the chances are that I'll get sick in the few minutes it takes for me to perform my number?"

"I think there's a one hundred percent chance you're being overly dramatic about this whole thing," Adam said. "But I'm sure you have your reasons. So...slim? Even if someone here sneezes or coughs, I doubt the germs would make it all the way up to you on the stage."

"Noted."

* * *

Rachel stared at Jesse with her lips pursed and a look in her eye that made it clear what she was about to say.

"Don't," Jesse croaked. He was sat on his bed with his blanket wrapped tightly around his shoulders and a half empty box of tissues next to his knee. "Brody already gave me a whole speech about how this was karma for taking things too far and Adam laughed at me for a solid five minutes when he saw me."

"I'm sorry," Rachel said. "How are you feeling?"

"Horrible," Jesse answered. "I can't breathe out of my nose and I feel like there's something stuck in my throat."

"What'd the doctor say?"

"It's just a cold. He gave me some antibiotics." He mustered up a weary smile. "As long as I take them, I'll be better by the time I fly out to see you this weekend."

Her lips turned up in a soft smile. "How long are you going to be here?"

"Two weeks," Jesse said.

A look that was equal parts shock and joy crossed her face. It made Jesse feel a little better.

"How?" she demanded. "I thought you only had three days for Thanksgiving!"

"The school does. I managed to convince my professors that attending sectionals would be a beneficial for my education. They're going to email me my classwork for that week."

"You didn't have to do that."

"I know. But I wanted to and the opportunity was there."

Anything else she was going to say was interrupted by Jesse falling into a coughing fit.

When he recovered, Rachel said, "You should sleep. It'll help."

"Mm….Sing me to sleep?"

"Sure."

There was a moment of silence as Jesse tossed the tissues onto the floor and rearranged himself. He settled down with his head on his pillow and his laptop on his nightstand.

"Text Brody to turn off my laptop when he comes in," he said.

"I will. Are you ready then?"

He nodded.

She drew a small breath before beginning, " _In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun."_

Jesse let his eyes drift shut as her voice washed over him and lulled him into sleep.

* * *

 **E/n:** This one had less to do with the actual events of the episode and more to do with Jesse just hating flu season which takes place during the episode kinda? Hopefully you guys still like it. It's a bit shorter then usual.

Also, I hope no one minds the daily updates? Originally I was only going to update every other day but I enjoy writing this and **Meet Cutes Are Better the Second Time** (my claringberry fic u should check out bc i love it) so much and I don't really have any other hobbies that I end up writing this in the mornings and Meet Cute in the evenings.

Song used: A Spoonful of Sugar (Mary Poppins). Not technically a lullaby but Rach would make it work i think.

Review and favorite/follow if you enjoyed


	15. Furt

**Forever Has to Start Somewhere**

 **Chapter 15:** Furt

* * *

Jesse slipped through the doors of the auditorium.

Most of New Directions was lined up in two rows between the seats. Finn and Rachel were in the front of the room, dancing to the beat. Quinn and a blonde boy Jesse assumed was Sam were dancing down the aisle in the middle of the room.

As Quinn sung, " _Who cares if we're trashed, got a pocket full of cash_ ," Kurt and Mercedes started to make their way down the aisle.

He made his way through the seats as they continued through the number.

Mr. Schue spotted him from his seat on the other side of the room and raised an eyebrow.

Jesse's lips tipped up in a smirk. He pressed a finger against his lip.

Mr. Schue gave a small nod before turning his attention back to the group.

He watched as each couple made their way down the aisle. The whole group looped back as Tina and Mike began to make their way down.

They settled at the end in two rows again.

Jesse supposed this was when Burt and Carol would enter during the wedding.

Since it was just a rehearsal, Jesse had no problem with sliding out into the aisle and joining in as the song came to its end, " _Is it the look in your eyes or is it this dancing juice? Who cares, baby. I think I wanna marry you."_

All of New Directions was staring at him as he walked towards them, none of them saying a thing.

It was Puck who broke the silence with a smooth, "Hey, St. James."

His words seemed to kick Rachel into motion because the next second she was running towards him.

Jesse picked her up effortlessly. Her arms locked around his neck and her legs around his waist. He settled one arm around her waist to keep her up and rested the other on the back of her thighs to keep her skirt in place.

She bent down, slamming their lips together in a kiss.

He responded in kind, meeting her eagerness with his own.

They didn't pull apart until they heard a cough from somewhere to their side. Mr. Schue chided, "Let's keep things PG, guys."

Jesse couldn't help the groan that dropped from his lips as Rachel pulled her lips from his. He dropped his head onto her shoulder to keep from chasing them.

"Sorry, Mr. Schue," Rachel apologized. Her thumb made lazy strokes along the nape of Jesse's neck. "We just missed each other."

Puck let out a snort from where he stood with the others. "That's an understatement. You were on him like a starving man who'd just seen a McDonalds."

"I am starving, Noah," Rachel answered. She looked over her shoulder. "I'm touch starved."

Jesse let a puff of laughter out against her skin. "You are such a drama queen."

"Says the one who lied to me about his flight just so he could make a dramatic entrance."

"I didn't lie to you," Jesse said. He lifted his head up so he was looking into her eyes. Her brown eyes were shining with so much affection that he couldn't help ducking in to press a peck against her mouth. "I canceled my flight last minute and drove down since I had to two tag-alongs."

"Brody and Adam?"

"Yeah. Brody's dad doesn't approve of the whole performing arts school thing and Adam's British so he was just going to sit around his dorm trying to figure the holiday out," Jesse said. "They're going to stay with my uncle and me this week and head back up to New York Saturday night."

"Where are they now?"

"My place. I figured I'd come pick you and Kurt up. Then we could all go out for coffee."

She hummed before turning her gaze to Mr. Schue, "Is it alright if we cut practice short for today? I know we have a lot to do for the wedding, but-"

"It's fine, Rachel," the teacher assured. He gave them a soft smile. "Enjoy the time you have with Jesse before he goes back to school."

"Thank you," Jesse said.

He felt Rachel tap his arm with one finger. Understanding what she wanted, he dropped his arms from her. She caught herself on her feet without as much as a stumble.

As she moved to tuck herself under his arm instead, Jesse called out, "Kurt! Take a thirty minute break from wedding planning to come out with us."

Kurt didn't turn away from his conversation with Mercedes, just called back, "Why would I want to do that when you two are going to be attached at the lips?"

"Because Adam would be very disappointed if I dragged him all the way to Lima and he didn't get to meet you."

His head whipped around to stare at them. "Adam's in Lima?"

"He didn't have anything better to do during Thanksgiving Break," Jesse confirmed.

Kurt pursed his lips. Then he gave a small nod, "No more than thirty minutes though. I'm on a deadline."

* * *

They end up staying at the coffee shop for a long longer than thirty minutes.

Rachel and Jesse stay locked together the whole time. She sat on his lap with his chin hooked on her shoulder and his arms around her waist.

The five of them, because Brody ended up joining them rather than hanging around the house by himself, talk about Kurt's situation with Karofsky. Rachel asks Brody and Adam about their classes because both of them take more performance based ones than Jesse who's using his freshmen year to knock out his general classes. Kurt and Rachel talk about the upcoming wedding and the plans Kurt has made thus far. Brody tells them stories about his high school days while Adam answers all their questions about England.

It's fun and easy and Jesse can't help being a bit relieved about it.

Despite the fact that Rachel never seemed to mind when Brody interrupted their Skype sessions or that Adam always seemed to be texting Kurt, Jesse had been worried his two lives wouldn't mesh.

He'd been worried that Brody and Adam and NYADA and New York would be a part of himself that just wouldn't fit with Rachel and Kurt and small town Ohio.

It occurred to him when the sun had set and they were walking out of the coffee shop, still laughing over a story Adam had told that involved him chasing a frog through his school, that there was a reason for that.

The reason Jesse's two lives slotted together so well was because Jesse's life in Ohio was filled with people who were destined for New York.

* * *

Thursday and Friday pass in a flurry of activity.

Rachel and Jesse have breakfast with her fathers on Thursday morning and, other then Leroy asking if they used protection when they first come downstairs, no one really comments on the fact that Jesse clearly spent the night.

They go over to Jesse's afterwards. They push the large table and chairs in the St. James dining room off to the side and spend the afternoon dancing around the room. Rachel and Jesse's uncle waltz around the room. Brody taught Rachel a few complicated salsa steps he learned in dance class, Adam responded by leading her in a nearly flawless samba, and Jesse took her arm after for a mambo. Jesse's uncle laughed at them through all of it and told them he understood why they all went to a performing arts school.

They sing a bit when they're done. Brody wasn't as strong as the rest of them so he left the dueting and solos to Adam, Jesse, and Rachel but he joined in a few group numbers.

When they'd thoroughly exhausted themselves, Jesse took Rachel back to her house so she could spend Thanksgiving with her fathers.

He spent dinner laughing loudly with Brody, Adam, and his uncle. With three boys just out of high school and one grown man, they ate most of the ridiculously large feast his uncle's cook had made. They all make a point to thank the woman when she's leaving to eat whatever her daughter has cooked for their own meal.

After they've swept the table clean and done the dishes, they gather around the table and play poker. His uncle allowed them each one glass of whiskey since it was a special occasion then cut them off.

Their game wrapped up around nine when Jesse and Adam both went all in just to get it over with. Adam ended up winning.

Kurt and Rachel showed up at the doorstep at two am Friday morning and hauled the three of them out of bed for black Friday shopping.

The day was spent laughing in the cold air outside of a store as they waited for doors to open and driving Jesse's rover and Kurt's navigator at unsafe speeds to get to the next stop in time. They pick up everything from a toaster oven Brody really wanted for their dorm room to pile of CD's almost as tall as Jesse.

By the time they take Kurt back to his house and sort through all the purchases, it's time for Carol and Burt's rehearsal dinner.

After dropping Rachel and Kurt off at the venue, Jesse and the others went back to his house. They managed to watch one movie before all three of them were asleep in the living room.

* * *

Jesse was sat on the edge of Rachel's bed when he heard her bathroom door click open.

He craned his head to look at her and felt the air rush out of his lungs.

She looked gorgeous in her red bridesmaids dress. Her hair was pinned to the top of her head with two curls falling to frame her face.

"You are gorgeous," he murmured as he reached a hand out for her. She set her palm in his and let him tug her forward so she was standing between his legs. "Absolutely gorgeous."

"Thank you," she said. She reached up, tangling her fingers in his hair. "You look pretty nice yourself."

He hummed. His suit jacket was lying somewhere further up the bed, leaving him in his button up and black suspenders. "Thank you, darling."

He stretched up to peck her lips, only to have her turn away so he met her cheek instead.

"You'll mess up my lipstick," she offered as an explanation.

"Ah...can't have that can we?"

"Nope." She squeezed his hand in hers. "After though?"

"Absolutely." He stretched up to pressed a kiss to her forehead before pulling their hands apart. "We should get going. Kurt would never forgive me if I made you late to the wedding."

"I'm surprised he agreed to letting me get ready here instead of in the dressing room with the others," Rachel mused. She took a step away from Jesse, allowing him to twist to retrieve his jacket.

"I think he's just trying to give us more time together," Jesse answered. He stood up, pulling his suit jacket over his shoulders. "I'll be here next week, but you'll be back in school and preparing for sectionals."

Rachel gave a small hum in response. She asked, "What are Brody and Adam doing while we're at the wedding tonight?"

"Adam's dragging Brody out to some gay club over by Westerville." He grabbed his keys from her nightstand before holding his hand for her once more. Their fingers linked together as they started towards the door. "Apparently they want to make the ten hour drive back to New York hung over. Fine by me as long as they don't puke in my car."

He laughed when he saw Rachel's nose scrunch at the thought.

"Rachel! Jesse!" They looked down to find Hiram standing at the bottom of the stairs. "Let me get a few pictures of you before you leave."

"You know, it's not our wedding, dad," Rachel said as she led Jesse down the stairs.

"I know, but the two of you are all dressed up. It'd be a shame not to take a few."

"You'll see us all dressed up when prom comes around," Jesse pointed out.

"Since when do you two turn down photo shoots?" Leroy questioned. He was leaning against the door frame leading to the kitchen, a fond smile on his face as he watched them.

"We're running late," Rachel said. "We don't really want to risk Kurt's wrath."

Hiram held up two of his fingers, "Just give me two minutes. You'll still get there by 3:45 as long as Jesse speeds down the highway."

"Hiram, are you telling him to put our little star in danger?"

Hiram shot an exasperated look at his husband, "Honey, you've been going ninety down the highway with Rachel in the car since she was two."

Leroy let out a small laugh. "Indulge your father, Rachel."

Jesse and Rachel exchanged a look. Then they nodded.

"Alright, dad," Rachel agreed. "Two minutes! But that's it! Kurt really won't be happy if we're late!"

* * *

Jesse pulled himself out of bed early Sunday morning.

He'd been out late, after Burt and Carol left their reception New Directions made their way down to the lake for some good old fashion underage drinking since they hadn't been allowed any at the party, but at six o'clock he was standing in his driveway with Adam and Brody.

"You're gonna be getting back to New York around rush hour. If you crash my car before you get it to NYADA's parking garage, I will murder you," Jesse warned. He knew he didn't look very intimidating as his hair was still fluffy from sleeping and he hadn't bothered to change out of his pajama pants.

"You are such a drama queen," Brody said with a roll of his eyes.

"Brody..." Jesse growled.

"We'll be careful," Brody assured. "I promise to make sure Adam is driving on the right side of the street the whole time and not to let him behind the wheel once we hit the New York state line."

"Hey!" Adam protested. "That only happened one time! And it was only because I haven't driven since moving!"

"One time is one time too many," Jesse said. He wrapped his arms around himself. He cleared his throat before adding, "Car aside, just be careful okay? It's a long drive."

Brody's face softened. He reached out and patted Jesse's arm. "We will be. Thanks for inviting us this weekend."

"It's no problem. We've got plenty of room to spare as you've seen." He shuffled his weight from foot to foot before saying, "I know Adam's going overseas, but if you still haven't made up with your parents you're welcome back for Christmas."

A look of relief passed over Brody's face. He gave a small nod, "I'll think about it."

"Record sectionals for me," Adam said. "I want to hear Kurt and Rachel."

"I was already planning on it," Jesse assured. "Rachel likes to watch her performances so she can critique herself."

"And watch over him while you're here," Adam added. "I know he says things haven't changed much, but just in case."

"Absolutely," Jesse agreed.

Adam nodded slightly, content with Jesse's promises.

"Come on," he said, inclining his head towards Brody. "We've gotta get going."

"Yeah. Sure." Brody flashed Jesse a smile. "See you in a week?"

Jesse nodded. "See you in a week."

* * *

 **E/n:** Whew! Okay this chapter is a monster by my standards. Usually I do around 1.5K, this one went on for a full 2.5 before I was settled.

Hopefully you guys enjoy it.

I will never get sick of writing the Brody, Adam, Jesse friendship. It is the pride and joy of this fic.

Review and follow/favorite if you enjoyed!


	16. Special Education I

**Forever Has to Start Somewhere**

 **Chapter 1** **6** : Special Education I

* * *

Jesse sat at his uncle's dining room table with his laptop in front of him. His legs were crossed under him. On either side of his face, he'd pinned his hair back with barrettes to keep it out of his face.

"Whatcha working on kiddo?"

He glanced up to see his Uncle strolling into the room.

"I thought you left for work," Jesse said.

"I took the day off. Wanted to spend some time with you."

"You didn't have to do that."

"I didn't have to," he agreed. "But I wanted to. You are the closest thing I have to a son, Jesse, and I want to spend time with you before you jet back to New York."

Fondness filled Jesse's chest. He'd always been closer to his uncle then his parents, but to have it laid out in such plain terms was something that didn't happen often. "Uncle Josh..."

His uncle shook his head, "Don't get all sentimental on me, kid. It's not your style."

"I've been doing a lot of things that are out of my style lately," Jesse answered.

"I've noticed." Josh took a sip of the water bottle in his hand. There was a small smile on his face when he lowered the bottle. "Rachel's been good for you, Jess. Really good."

"She has." Even though he knew the most likely answer to his question, Jesse said, "You like her, right?"

"Adore her," Josh confirmed. "She's kind and she cares for others a lot. At the same time, though, you have to watch out for her. You push that girl too far and she'll come at you like hells fury unleashed." He inclined his head towards Jesse, "That's part of why she's so good for you. She'll help you when you need it, but she won't let you charm her or push her around."

Jesse let out a small snort. "Rachel doesn't let me push her into anything. She'll ask me for advice, but she only takes it after hours of debate."

"Keeps you on your toes."

They were quiet for a few moments.

Then Josh said, "So, are you busy with your homework or do you have time to beat me in a few rounds of Rock Band?"

"Yeah," Jesse answered without hesitation. He'd finished the work he was missing in class this week before Thanksgiving break. He'd been working on beginning his review for his exams. He stood up, grinning. "Prepare to have your ass kicked, old man."

* * *

"Oh really?" Santana questioned, leaning down to speak near Finn's ear. "Because that's not what you said in that motel room last year."

There was a beat of silence before Rachel looked down at Finn. Fury was etched into every line of her face as she hissed out, "You slept with Santana?"

"Enough already!" Mr. Schue shouted from the piano.

His mouth was already open to continue when Rachel spun on him. She raised a finger at him, "You don't get to talk now, Mr. Schue."

"Excuse me? Rachel, I am your teacher and-"

"In this room you are a coach!" Rachel interrupted. "And you are a horrible one at that! You do not hand off duets for a real competition based on a silly club activity! Much less one that rigged! Finn voted for Quinn and Sam to keep Sam in the club, not because they were the best! Quite frankly, that title went to Tina and Mike!"

Mike's eyes widened. He let out a soft, "Really?"

Rachel glanced back at him and gave a nod, "Really. Your dance moves are spectacular and they would blow the judges away at sectionals if we had the vocals to back them."

"Rachel," Mr. Schue interrupted, his voice low with his own simmering anger, "I am not going to give you and Finn the duet just because-"

"Then don't give Finn and I the duet!" Rachel screeched, rounding back on him. "Give it to Kurt and I as we are absolutely your best performers! Give it to Noah and I if you want a more traditional male voice! Give it to Kurt and Mercedes or Tina since they are honestly the second best female voices in this club. Give it to Mercedes and I because we could blow the house down with the force of our voices." She took a step towards him, not stopping her tangent, "I am the most talented member of this club and that is not up for dispute! However, I have never said the other members of this club weren't talented as well! I demand to be showcased because it's what is best for this team, but I have never told you to shove the others into a box! You do that all by yourself. You are the one who forces the girls in this club to fight for the leads while giving Finn the lead in every number requiring a male. Despite the fact that Noah and Kurt have far better voices then he does!"

She spun now, turning her fury back onto Finn, "And you! I can't even stand to look at you right now."

"Why do you even care that I slept with Santana?" Finn questioned. There was a flicker of anger beginning to mix with his shock at Rachel's outburst. "You told me just a few weeks ago that nothing we had mattered to you."

"A few weeks ago you called me a slut in front of everyone in this room!" Rachel screamed. "I danced with Matthew in a way that was way more innocent then what we did for Push It last year or Toxic this year and you implied my boyfriend had turned me into a slut because of it! At least I lost my virginity to someone I'm in a committed relationship with – not someone who's slept with every guy on the football team!"

She set her jaw in place as she turned back to Mr. Schue, "I am leaving this room now. I expect that when I come back tomorrow you will have a more suitable set list than whatever you are planning with Sam and Quinn! And get rid of whatever eighties hit you had on that list as well because I can almost guarantee the Warblers will be singing Top 40 Hits given how Kurt complains about Blaine's Ipod selection. We are not fighting pop music with nostalgia."

Without another word, she spun on her foot and left a room full of gaping teenagers in her wake.

* * *

By the time Rachel reached Jesse's home, her anger had receded.

Left in it's wake was a deep sense of sadness.

She couldn't understand why Mr. Schue thought she was such a horrible person. Yes, she was driven and goal oriented and had a tendency to take things much to seriously, but she had been devoted to Glee Club since day one.

She couldn't understand why he was content to listen to Quinn tell her she had an urge to punch Rachel every time she opened her mouth, but shut Rachel down the second she got up to retaliate to Santana's attempts to goad her.

She climbed out of her car, making her way up the stairs of Jesse's home.

Rachel rung the doorbell and then rocked back on her heels, alone in her thoughts.

She never complained when they were doing their weekly assignments. In fact, she had complimented her teammates on their assignments multiple times and let them know how much she enjoyed their performances. She didn't understand why her having confidence in her abilities negated those things.

"Ye- Rachel? I thought you weren't gonna be here until five?" At the words, Rachel ripped herself from her thoughts. She looked up to find Jesse's uncle holding the door open, a concerned look on his face. "Sweetheart, are you crying?"

She reached up at his question. Her fingers came away from her cheeks wet.

"Oh," she murmured. Her voice shook even though it was only a small syllable. "I hadn't realized."

Before she could really process it, Josh St. James reached for her. He pulled her into him and hugged her tightly.

The second she wrapped in his arms, surrounded by someone who she knew would keep her safe and wouldn't begrudge her dramatics because he was used to them, she felt herself break down. Her tears fell freely down her face and her sobs shook her body.

"Shhh," he murmured into her hair. "Calm down, Rachel. Calm down."

"Who is it, Uncle Josh..." Jesse's voice fell off. His next word was heavy with concern, "Rachel?"

"It's alright, Jesse," Josh calmed. His grip on Rachel shifted. She thought he was looking over his shoulder at his nephew. "We've got her. It'll be okay."

"It won't," Jesse argued. She heard his footsteps as he crossed the foyer to them. She turned her head when she felt him near her, pressing her cheek against Josh's chest. She watched his heart shattered in his eyes at the sight of her tears and her chest heaving with the force it took to gain breath between sobs. Something dark, pure rage, assembled itself in it's wake. He demanded, "Rachel, what happened?"

Rachel hesitated. She knew Jesse would understand what had upset her, but she wasn't sure his Uncle would understand why the events of the day had rocked her so hard.

Even her fathers struggled to understand these things about her, they'd admitted to her before that they sometimes found her overly emotional and over dramatic, so why would Josh not think the same?

She didn't think she could handle being accused of being selfish in her state.

"Rachel, tell us what happened," Josh insisted. His hand rubbed a comforting circle along her back. "I promise I won't think any less of you. Nothing that upsets you this much is acceptable, no matter how ridiculous you may think it is."

She swallowed around the lump in her throat.

And then, feeling for the first time as though someone would truly listen to her about her situation at school, she told them everything.

* * *

 **E/n:** So quick things to address:

1) I honest to god believe Will Schuester is an idiot. His behavior towards Rachel has always been unacceptable and given that I am a huge Rachel fan I absolutely will not let that shit fly in my fic. Maybe I over did it a bit in this chapter, but his treatment of Rachel in Special Education is honestly horrendous. He takes the chance to perform away from a girl who desperately loves and cares for her glee club and gives it to two of her biggest tormentors! And as mentioned int his chapter, he completely shuts Rachel down from arguing with Santana after she reveals that she slept with Finn even though Quinn had threatened her moments before.

2) Rachel's attitude in this chapter. I think some people might find her rant at a teacher out of character. I'd like to point out that Finn's relationship is known to bring down Rachel's confidence. With Jesse, she has someone who keeps her from being torn down by Santana or Quinn because he constantly builds her up. He reaffirms her talent with as much ferocity as Santana tries to tear it down and as a result I think Rachel would become even more firm in herself.

3) I am absolutely going to make Jesse and Rachel their own little family in this fic. Right now this includes Kurt, Adam, Brody, and Jesse's Uncle. I have one more addition planned which should come in the next chapter or two? I think two. I'm not sure yet. I'm pretty certain you guys are going to be surprised by it :^)

AND 4) Kurt! Not actually important to this chapter, but someone mentioned it in a review so i thought I'd clear something up. Kurt isn't transferring to Dalton, because the events that led to him transferring to Dalton never happened. He walked away from a confrontation with Karofsky and therefore never finds out his secret so the bullying doesn't escalate to the genuine terror.

okay! I might have had more to say, but this end note is getting entirely too long!

Review and favorite/follow if you enjoyed!


	17. Special Education II

**Forever Has to Start Somewhere**

 **Chapter 1** **7:** Special Education II

* * *

Jesse sat on the edge of his bed watching Rachel as she slept.

The sun was still out, streaming in through the silver curtains over the windows, but Rachel had been so exhausted after getting everything out that she'd asked if it was alright for her to take a nap.

Wanting nothing more than to wipe the broken look from Rachel's eyes, Jesse had happily offered his bed.

She was currently sprawled stomach down in pair of his shorts and one of his tee-shirts. She'd put up a half-hearted fight about the clothing – claiming she didn't need pajamas for a nap – but had given up that argument rather quickly.

A sharp knock resounded through the room.

Jesse looked away from her to find his uncle peeking in through a crack in the door. "Is Rachel asleep?"

"Yeah," Jesse answered with a small nod. Rachel had fallen asleep with their hands clasped. Her grip had loosened once she fell asleep, but his stayed tight. He rubbed his thumb along the edge of hers. "She was gone as soon as she hit the pillow."

"That's good. She had a rough day." They were quiet for a minute before Josh asked, "Is it really that bad for her all the time?"

"Yes," Jesse said without any hesitation. "It was worst last year. She has a few friends now whereas before she didn't have anyone."

Josh watched the two of them for a moment. Then he said, "Jesse, the two of you are serious right?"

"Yes." Jesse glanced back down at Rachel. When he looked back up, his face was calm and serious. "Rachel and I are an inevitability. I don't ever want to let her go but I know that if something happens and I have to, we'll drift back to each other. Someday, years from now because we're still young, I'm going to marry her."

There was another beat before Josh nodded. "Alright then."

"You aren't going to tell me I'm being ridiculous?"

"Nope." He gave a shrug. "Despite what people may tell you Jesse, being young doesn't invalidate your feelings. What you're telling me is really how you feel. As long as you work for that future, as long as you don't assume inevitability means your relationship will be easy or without work, I have very bit of faith that you'll get there."

"Thank you," Jesse murmured. "It's nice to knows there's someone in our corner."

"I am always gonna be, kiddo." His eyes flitted over to Rachel before he said, "Knowing you want to marry her is certainly making my decision easier."

"Decision?"

"We can't let her live like this," Josh said. "After hearing everything, I came up with a plan that could make things better for her. You're both going to have choose between the lesser of what you may consider two evils, but with the St. James name and a small chunk of money we can make it work."

"I'll get her to agree." Jesse saw his uncle's eyebrows raise, as though he were surprised Jesse was agreeing to his plan before he had even heard it. "You wouldn't suggest anything that would really hurt us and I can't go back to New York knowing that club is killing her. I can swallow my pride as long as things will get better for Rachel."

* * *

When Will Schuester was called into the principles office, he knew immediately that it was about Rachel Berry. He figured the girl had complained to her fathers and they had brought the issue to Sue. The new principle was sure to use the situation to her own advantage.

So, when he walked in he was a little surprised at the sight before him.

Rachel was sitting on the couch in the room. She wore a pair of black leggings with a black skirt, Will thought it might have been the one she was wearing the day before, and an oversized red hoodie that advertised a community production of Into the Woods. When she saw Will walk in, she straightened her back, folded her legs at the knee, and settled her hands in her knees.

A man with curly brown hair and green eyes stood at the edge of the couch nearest Sue's desk. He was wearing a closely tailored charcoal suit with a deep green tie tucked into it.

Will had met both Berry men and the man in front of him was neither.

"What's going on?" Will questioned as he made his way to the free seat in front of Sue's desk.

"Curly-Q's uncle," Sue said, waving a hand towards the other man in the room, "has come to me with concerns about the way your handling glee club."

"I figured," Will answered with a sigh. He turned to the man, "Look, Mr-"

"St. James," he interrupted. "Joshua St. James."

Will's eyes widened. "Jesse's uncle?"

Sue gave a roll of her eyes, "Who else would I call Curly-Q? I don't reuse my nicknames, double chin."

Will scowled at Sue before focusing back on Joshua, "Mr. St James, I won't give Rachel a solo just because you came in. She is not the only talented member of my glee club and-"

"I made it clear yesterday that I don't expect you to give me every solo, Mr. Schue," Rachel cut in. "I only expect to be featured in our performances because I am the best performer in the club. I simply expect that the solos in the club be given to be given to the most talented members of the club, not the meanest."

"Besides that," Joshua continued before Will could answer, "this meeting isn't about the set-list. It's about the way Rachel was treated in your club yesterday. When Rachel opposed the fact that you had given less talented members of your club the leads in a number for a competition, a classmate threatened her with bodily harm. You didn't say anything to that girl. Then when Rachel went to respond to what was clearly an attempt at shattering Rachel's psyche, you silenced her but didn't reprimand the girl who had made the original comment."

"What am I supposed to do?" Will questioned. "Tell Santana she can't discuss her own sex life?"

"Yes actually. Glee might be an after school activity, but I think we can all agree that the sex lives of the school's teenage students isn't a topic we should encourage."

"I reviewed the tapes from last nights glee rehearsal," Sue said. "I've decided that your behavior was unacceptable. My cheerio's may be mean girls, but I have always put a stop to their actions when they involved physical violence."

"Quinn didn't actually hit her!"

"But she's thought about it," Rachel murmured. "So who's to say she won't someday?"

"Now, I was in favor of firing you from your position as glee club director and suspending you from teaching, but a different plan was purposed by Rachel and Mr. St James is willing to funnel the money into the arts program to support it," Sue said. A wicked smile curled her lips, "And it's gonna hurt you a lot more then anything I could do to you. Especially being as it came around because you can't be trusted to keep your kids safe from each other."

"What is going on," Will mumbled, half to himself. All he'd done was take Emma's advice on letting all the talent in his club be displayed, and yet here he was being accused of encouraging bullying in his club and not making glee club a safe place for Rachel.

"You're getting a co-director," Sue said. "Mr. St James has agreed to pay for her salary."

"A co-director? Who?"

It was Rachel who answered, "Shelby Corcoran. She'll be starting next week, assuming we make it past sectionals in spite of your sub par set-list."

* * *

"How bad was it?" Jesse murmured as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Rachel was straddling him and his other arm was looped around her waist.

"Not fantastic," Rachel admitted. He rested his palm against her cheek and she leaned into the touch. "Some less then kind remarks were made by all members of the club when Mr. Schue told them."

"And did he say anything to them?" She gave a small shake of her head. He tapped his fingers against the spot under her ear. "That right there is why this had to be done. This came around because of his incompetence, not because of you."

She made a small sound. "It wasn't all bad, though. This morning Noah asked me if I meant what I said about him deserving solos and he seemed happy when I told him I did. I wish I could have spoken to him this afternoon before Glee...Shelby coming to teach us was a huge shock for him."

"Because of Beth?"

She gave a nod. "Noah never wanted to give her up."

"I know."

"Kurt was predictably wonderful," Rachel continued. "He told me he was excited to see what Shelby would bring to the club. He's hoping having her around will decrease some of the girl jokes from Noah and the others.

Jesse pursed his lips, wondering for a moment if now was a good time to bring it up. Deciding he would rather do it now then ruin a good mood later, he asked, "How are you feeling? I know you agreed to all of this last night but..."

"I'm fine," Rachel assured. "This isn't going to be like the last time Shelby and I interacted. We didn't reach out to her as my mother, we reached out to her as a coach and a teacher. As someone with the potential to improve a situation."

He hesitated again before saying, "She quit Carmel so that she could raise Beth. Do you really think her agreeing to our proposal so easily has nothing to do with you being her daughter?"

"I'm sure it does." She lifted one shoulder in a shrug. "But that doesn't change anything from my perspective. She doesn't get to come back into my life now that she has her perfect golden child."

" _You_ are perfect," Jesse asserted. He pressed his palm against her back so she scooted closer to him. "And I am so sorry she couldn't see that, baby."

"Not your fault," Rachel said. She pressed their lips together, leading him in a slow kiss.

When they pulled apart, they rested their foreheads together.

"Are you staying again tonight?" Jesse questioned.

"I don't think so. My dads aren't happy that I didn't go back to the house for clothes this morning. They wanted to talk to me about everything in person."

A small smile graced his lips as he remembered what Rachel had worn to school. He'd offered to take her back to her house before dropping her off, but she hadn't been ready to face her fathers and had chosen to rewear her skirt and throw on an old sweatshirt of his.

"We've got a few hours though?" he murmured. She gave a small nod. "Good. I've got plans for you."

* * *

 **E/n:** So this was supposed to be the end of Special Education, but I've decided we're gonna do one more chapter before moving on.

Hopefully everyone is excited to see where things with Shelby will go!

Review and Favorite/Follow if you enjoyed!


	18. Special Education III

**Forever Has to Start Somewhere**

 **Chapter 1** **8** **:** Special Education III

* * *

 _Adam (Friday 4:35pm)_

 _How are they?_

 _You (Friday 4:36pm)_

 _The last text message Kurt sent me said (and I'm copying and pasting here):_

 _You know, I complain about Rachel a lot. But at least she's always got her act together_ _pre-_ _perf_ _or_ _mance._ _This is a_ _disaster._

 _Adam (Friday 4:38pm)_

 _So the same as always._

 _You (Friday 4:39)_

 _Pretty much._

 _You (Friday 4:39)_

 _I'll let you know how it looks once the Warblers perform._

"I know I taught you better than to be on your phone in a theater."

Jesse hit the home button and locked his phone up. He slipped it into his jacket pocket before turning to the woman who had just settled into the seat next to him. "The competition hasn't started yet, Shelby."

"I suppose it hasn't," she murmured. Her eyes scanned over him. He resisted the instinctive urge to straighten up under her scrutiny. "I heard you turned down UCLA."

"I did," he answered. "I accepted NYADA's offer instead. They only offered half of my tuition, but it would be a much bigger challenge."

"New York is a lot closer to Ohio than California is. Wasn't your goal to get as far from here as possible?"

"It was," Jesse agreed. He crossed his arms over his chest, leaning back in his seat. "But my girlfriend lives here and we're both destined for New York. I just decided to speed the process along so that I could stay close to her."

Something in Shelby's eyes lightened. Her voice was softer when she asked, "How is Rachel?"

"Obviously not fine," he said. "Considering the fact that my uncle had to offer you a salary to ensure she was treated fairly in her glee club."

"I knew that. I just – Is she happy? Is she doing well in school?" He stared at her for a moment. Then he gave a light shake of his head. "She's not?"

"I'm not saying that. I just refuse to sit here and tell you about her. You had the chance to learn those things about her first hand and you refused it," he answered. He made sure he was looking Shelby in the eye as he asked, "How's your daughter? She's what...a few months shy of one? She'll be talking soon right? Here's hoping she becomes the perfect golden child you wanted."

He was sure his words had hit their mark when she flinched.

Before Shelby could answer, Jesse's phone buzzed in his pocket.

 _Rachel (Friday_ _4:47)_

 _Where are you seated? Mr. Schue said Kurt and I could sit with you until the Warblers finished._

 _You (Friday 4:48)_

 _I'll come meet you instead._

Jesse shoved his phone away before standing up. Shelby's eyes followed his movement.

"Excuse me," he said. "My girlfriend asked me to go sit with her."

He shifted around her, shuffling out of their row.

He walked to the back of the auditorium and towards the door that New Directions was entering from.

Jesse reached them right as Rachel slipped inside behind Mercedes and Kurt. Her phone was in her hands and her eyebrows were knitted together as she examined it.

He gave Matt a pat on the back as he slipped between him and Mike.

"Hey," he greeted as he looped an arm around Rachel's shoulders. When he looked over, he could see that she had been reading his text message. "Told you I'd come to you."

A smile lit her face as she looked at him. She chided softly, "That wasn't the plan."

"I'm a fan of going against those." He looked over her. It was the first time he was seeing her in her costume. The silver and white halter dress looked good on her. "You look as beautiful as always."

"Thank you." She gave a soft hum as they followed the others down the aisle. "It's lack of pockets are a bit inconvenient though. I needed my phone to find out where you were and now I have no where to put it."

"We can put it in mine and you can grab it again before you go to the green room." She gave an agreeing hum before slipping her hand around to put the item in the back pocket of his jeans. Afterwards, she raised her arm just enough to rest it over his lower back and curled her fingers around his hip. The extra contact made him smile. He pressed a kiss to her temple. "You know, I love you right?"

"I do," she agreed. She craned her head back to look at him. "You know, I love _you_ right?"

"I do," he echoed. He pressed a kiss against her forehead.

"Alright, alright," Matt said from behind them. Jesse felt a foot kick against his calf. "Keep that shit to a minimum, love birds."

"You are just jealous and lonely," Jesse teased.

As he spoke the words, he thought of the woman he'd been sitting with moments before. There was no doubt in his mind that the words applied to her.

* * *

"You could have won."

Will sighed. He took a quick check of the kids, counting carefully to make sure they were all still grouped in front of him, before turning around to face Shelby. "We did win."

"You tied," she corrected. "And the only reason that happened was because you had the dancing the Warblers were lacking. If you'd had different vocalists, you would have won."

"There is no guarantee that's true."

Shelby shook her head. Her chest heaved with a sigh. "Will, Rachel won sectionals singlehandedly last year."

"That's not true. The whole club worked together and-"

"She was all the circuit was talking about for months. Everyone wanted to know about the tiny brunette who belted out a near flawless rendition of a Streisand classic," Shelby corrected. "I'm not claiming to know your club, because I don't. But I can promise you would have that trophy all to yourself if you'd put Rachel on I've Had the Time of My Life."

He was quiet for a minute before asking, "The duet? Not the solo?"

"I'm not sure if Rachel could pull off a number like Valerie. She did well in the background, but I'm not sure she could reel herself back enough to keep from overshadowing the dancers," Shelby answered. Her shoulders seemed to slump with the admission. "I don't know her well enough to tell you that."

Will felt a pang of sympathy for the woman. He remembered their conversation last year about Shelby's expectations for Rachel prior to meeting her and the fall out that had followed, but this was clearly a woman who had come to regret her decision.

"You'll be working with us starting next week," Will said. "You'll have a chance to get to know her."

She gave Will a small bittersweet smile. "Thank you for saying that, but it'll be as her coach not as her mother. Jesse made it pretty clear to me that I wasn't going to get a second chance at the latter."

"You spoke to Jesse?" Will thought back on the afternoon. "When? He was with us the whole time."

"I sat down next to him before you entered the auditorium. I asked him how Rachel was doing. If she was happy and doing well in school. He shut me down and then left to meet you."

"Ah..." He gave a small nod of understanding. "That doesn't surprise me. Jesse's pretty protective of her."

Surprise flashed across her face. "He is?"

He gave another nod. "He had half the McKinley football team terrified of him within a week of transferring. He refused to let them so much as look at Rachel."

"He was never like that at Carmel," Shelby said. "He never seemed to care about the girls he had on his arm. It was like they were an after thought to him."

"Really?" This time it was his face with shock painted on it. "That's hard to believe. He and Rachel are always completely engrossed in each other. It's like they're one person."

They fell quiet.

Will turned over her earlier words about their performance while Shelby considered Will's opinion on her eldest daughter's relationship.

"Mr. Schue!" They both looked behind him at the interruption. Kurt had broken from the group, taking a few steps away from the group. "Can Rachel, Mike, Tina, Matt, Puck, and I head out? Jesse's offering to take us out for pizza."

"Does he have room for all of you in his car?" Will questioned.

"We can make it work," Matt piped in. "Mike and Rachel are small enough to share a seat."

"That's not legal," Will stressed. "Look, where's Jesse? I'll talk to him about it."

Puck gave a snort. "He and Rachel slipped off to make out like the second you turned your back. They can't seem to keep their hands off each other."

"Shush," Kurt said, waving a hand behind him to dismiss Puck. "Let them have their time together. He's off to New York again on Sunday."

Will just let out a heavy sigh. He pushed a hand through his hair. He gave Shelby an apologetic smile, "I'm sorry, I have to go take care of this."

"Go ahead."

She gave a small smile of her own and shooed him with her hand.

He took several steps towards his team before throwing over his shoulder, "Rachel's got an A in Spanish though she's got a bad habit of mixing up her verbs."

He heard her soft, "Thank you," before he was surrounded by teenagers demanding his attention.

* * *

Jesse trudged up the steps towards his dorm room early Sunday morning. His dufflebag was slung over his shoulder.

It was only nine am and he was already exhausted with this day.

Rachel had been allowed to stay at his house Saturday night. They'd said goodbye on his front porch at four in the morning, before his uncle drove him to Columbus. Despite the early hour, there had been tears and tight hugs.

He'd slept through most of the hour and half long flight to New York and it'd left him groggy as he tried to navigate through LaGuardia. Catching a cab had been it's own type of hell.

"Hey! Look who's back!"

Jesse looked up, having been focusing on his feet to make sure he didn't miss a step in his exhaustion, to find Adam and Brody standing in front of the door to Jesse's dorm room.

"Hey," Jesse greeted. He was all too aware of how tired the words sounded.

"You sound like shit," Brody observed.

"I know," he answered. "I'm going to take a nap. Wake me up in a few hours so I don't mess up my sleep schedule the day before I go back to class."

"We're on our way out for breakfast," Adam said. "We'll wake you up when we get back."

"Bring me something to eat while you're at it?" he requested.

As he reached them, Brody leaned over and popped the door open for him. He felt a rush of affection for his roommate.

"Sure thing," Brody agreed.

"You guys are the best friends," Jesse said as he passed them.

Adam let out a soft laugh. "We know. Now go to sleep, St. James."

"Absolutely," Jesse agreed.

He stepped into the room and kicked the door shut behind him.

He tossed his dufflebag onto the floor before collapsing against his bed.

Two weeks with Rachel had been amazing, but he sure hoped coming back after Christmas break didn't take this much out of him.

* * *

 **E/n:** OKAY WOW FINALLY DONE WITH SPECIAL EDUCATION!

This chapter was mostly setting up for Shelby's return, but hopefully it was enjoyable nonetheless?

Lil bit of the brOT3 at the end there because I was kinda missing them.

The next episode is technically the Glee Christmas episode, but Jesse won't be back with Rachel until the chapter after that.

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	19. A Very Glee Christmas

**Forever Has to Start Somewhere**

 **Chapter 1** **9** **:** A Very Glee Christmas

* * *

"I am so glad the door was already open," Rachel said as she entered the choir room. "I'm not sure I could have opened it by myself. Noah, come here please."

Puck was seated on the floor peering into a green plastic container. Mike was sitting next to him, pulling strings of lights from the box. He didn't look up as he questioned, "Why?"

"Because I've got something for you."

He looked up now. When he spotted the two tupperware containers in her hands, he pushed himself to his feet. "One of those mine?"

"Yes. The top one," she answered. He made his way across the room and plucked the top container from her pile. As he peeled the lid back to look inside, she added, "I would have given them to you on the first, but I was so caught up in Sectionals and Jesse being here that I didn't have time."

"Fuck yes," he hissed when he caught sight of what was inside the container. "Berry cupcakes."

"Please make sure you let your mother and Dani have at least one," Rachel added as he lifted one of them aforementioned items from the container. The cupcake in Puck's hand was wrapped in a shiny metallic silver cupcake linear. It was covered in a swirl of bright blue frosting with white sprinkles dusting the top.

Puck groaned as he shifted the container under his arm. He peeled the paper back, revealing the chocolate cake. "You're handing me the whole tub and telling me I have to share the shit with the twerp? That shits not kosher, Berry."

"I wish you would stop saying that," Rachel said with a soft sigh. "Your family doesn't even eat kosher, Noah."

"Semantics." He took a bite of the treat in his hands. The sound that left his mouth could only be described as a moan. "Fuck, Berry. Your present is in my locker. I'll get it to you soon. I promise. You fucking deserve it for making something this good and sharing it with me."

"Isn't it a little early in the season for gift giving?" Quinn questioned as she and Santana entered the room. They were carrying more green tubs like the one Mike was pulling lights out of. "We're not even on Christmas break yet, Puck."

Puck and Rachel stared at her for a minute.

"Are you for real right now?" Puck questioned. "Because I'm pretty sure Berry and I mention all the time that we're Jewish. You couldn't possibly have missed that tidbit about us."

"Oh." Mike glanced between the two of them through the row of lights he had wrapped around his head in his attempt to keep them untangled. "Hanukkah's this week?"

"It started last week," Rachel said. "But as I said before, I was too caught up in Jesse's visit to prepare cupcakes for the first day."

"It's cool, B," Puck said. He swiped his tongue along his bottom lip, cleaning up a bit of frosting sticking there. He gestured to the container in her hand. "Who's that for?"

"Shelby. My fathers told me once that one of the reasons they picked her for their surrogate was because she shared their faith," she answered. "It would have been rude of me not to extend some sort of present to her. Though, I didn't include nearly as many in her batch. Only three and then a much smaller one for Beth."

"Mm..."

The two of them went quiet.

Rachel watched the members of the glee club coming through the doors with boxes in their hands while Puck stared at his cupcake. Rachel supposed he was thinking about his daughter.

"So, hey," Puck said after a few minutes. "You've probably pieced this together yourself, but Finn found this Christmas tree on the side of the road and Santana flinched some decorations from the dead lady next door. Wanna help us put it all together?"

She gave him a small smile. "I'd love to. Though I must admit, I'm not really sure how to decorate a Christmas tree."

"I'll teach you," Puck said. He bumped their shoulders together. "I spent years helping Finn and his mom put theirs up."

* * *

"It's just weird because I'm in a totally different mind set than everyone else," Jesse explained. He was walking towards his next class with his phone pressed against his ear as he spoke to Rachel. He could hear a piano playing softly in the background. "Like, everyone else is running themselves completely ragged studying for their finals. I'm just here like...not concerned at all considering I spent all of last week studying while I waited for you to get out of school."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Rachel questioned. "Wouldn't you rather be prepared for your finals than running yourself into the ground?"

"Yes, but that's not the college thing," Jesse argued. He darted forward in order to slip through the doors before they closed behind the student in front of him. "It just makes me feel like I'm doing something wrong."

"Jesse, you have never felt like you were doing something wrong in your life," Rachel answered. He could practically hear her rolling her eyes at him. "And you practically thrive on doing something different than your peers."

"Normally, you would be right. But it's a bit different when it comes to something as important as my final exams." He fell into step behind a group of girls he recognized as being in the class he was headed to. He heard the sounds of the piano again. "Aren't you on your lunch?"

"I am," Rachel answered.

"Did McKinley suddenly install a piano in their lunch room?"

"No. I'm not in the cafeteria. I needed to practice something so I'm spending the hour in the choir room."

"What could you possibly need to practice?" Jesse asked. "You go on break at the end of the week."

"Christmas carols. The whole glee club is in the holiday spirit," Rachel responded. "Seeing as I don't celebrate the holiday, I don't have much experience singing them."

Jesse gave a soft hum. He requested, "Sing whatever you're practicing for me?"

"Why do you always ask me to sing for you when you're on your way to class?"

"Because walking is boring without something to listen to."

She gave a soft hum before beginning to sing, " _When the snow comes down in Tinseltown, you'll be dancing in Hollywood. Slippin and a slidin and a sleigh ridin' all over the neighborhood. You'll be rockin' with a stockin' on your head, so the cold won't get to you. On Christmas eve, you can believe that wishes do come true."_

* * *

"Rachel." She stopped, having been moving towards the doorway with the rest of the club, and turned to see Shelby. The woman was standing in the doorway leading to the choir room office with Rachel's tupperware container in her hands. "I wanted to give this to you before you left. Since today's the last day before break."

"Oh, yes! Thank you."

Rachel broke away from her friends, making her way over to take the container.

"They were delicious," Shelby complimented as she handed the container over. "Beth couldn't stop trying to shove them in her mouth. It took a few baths to get all the blue off her mouth."

"I didn't think about the way they would stain skin," Rachel mused. "I'm sorry."

"No, no." Shelby shook her head. "It wasn't a bad thing. Actually, my sister thought it was quite funny when I sent her the pictures."

Her fingers curled a little tighter around the dish at the mention of another thing the little girl her mother had chosen over her had. She hadn't feeling this much resentment towards a child, especially when Rachel _had_ her own aunts on her Daddy's side, but she couldn't help it.

"What are your plans for the break?" Shelby asked.

"Nothing too exciting," Rachel answered. "Jesse's last final in on Tuesday next week so he'll be back on Wednesday or Thursday. We're waiting to see if Brody is going to come down with him as well."

"I see. Are you spending Christmas with them?"

"Yes," she said. "I was invited to spend the night Christmas Eve."

"What about New Years?" Shelby questioned. "Do you have plans for that as well?"

"We've been talking about having a small party at Jesse's. He's got more room than I do. But nothings been decided yet."

"Oh." There was a hint of disappointment in Shelby's smile as she said, "Sounds like a busy holiday."

"Yes."

There was a moment of silence before someone said, "Rach, if you're coming with me to meet Blaine at the Lima Bean you need to hurry up."

Rachel let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding in.

She craned her head back, spotting Kurt standing in the doorway with his hands wrapped around the strap of his messenger bag. There was a look on his face like he knew exactly what he was saving her from.

"I'm coming," Rachel promised. She turned back to Shelby and gave her a small nod. "I'm glad you enjoyed the cupcakes. Thank you for returning the dish before the break."

Without another word, she turned on her heel and walked away from her mother.

When she reached Kurt, she linked their arms together. As they walked out, she whispered, "Thank you."

"No problem," Kurt answered. He patted her hand. "I really am going to meet Blaine, though. You're welcome to join us if you'd like."

She thought about it for a moment before nodding. "Sure. Hanukkah ended yesterday and Jesse's studying so it's not as though I'm in any hurry to get home."

Kurt let out a relieved sigh. "You don't know how relieved I am to hear that. Blaine's got a performance coming up and he's had me singing Baby, It's Cold Outside with him constantly. At least with you around I can take a break."

* * *

 **E/n:** One of glee's biggest disappointments was that it's Christmas episodes completely ignored Rachel and Puck's faith. I would have mentioned Hanukkah in the chapter before this but I had to google when Hanukkah started in 2010 and it turned out to be way earlier than I thought.

Not a whole lot of Jesse in this one? I hope that's okay with you guys considering how much Jesse was in the last four chapter and how much Jesse will be in the next one! I'm only planning one chapter for Christmas Break but I might end up doing more? I'm hoping not to do another three parter.

On that note! Did you guys completely hate the thing with Special Education or did you think it was okay?

Also: i know it may look like Rachel has walked away from Shelby in this chapter. And she has. But I think that's vital to them building a relationship. Both of them have to get rid of the expectations left over from their last encounter and build on a new foundation.

Review and follow/favorite if you enjoyed!


	20. Christmas Break I

**Forever Has to Start Somewhere**

 **Chapter** **20:** Christmas Break I

* * *

"Alright," Brody declared as he walked towards Jesse. He held coffee cups in both of his hands while a plastic bag hung off his forearm. "I grabbed us both some gas station coffee. I also got myself some gummy worms and you a packet of Mike and Ike's."

"Much appreciated," Jesse answered. He was standing by the pump, watching the number climb to the amount he'd prepaid. He reached out a hand, taking the cup Brody held out for him. He took a quick sip, letting out a soft moan at the way the warmth spread through his body, before saying, "So I figured I'd drive the rest of Pennsylvania. We can switch off right before the border and you can drive us into Lima. Then I won't be so exhausted when I head over to Rachel's."

Brody raised an eyebrow as he took a sip of his own coffee. "You're going to Rachel's tonight? We won't get there until seven and that's assuming we don't hit traffic."

"I want to see her," Jesse said with a shrug. "I'm only going to be there for an hour or two anyway. Her dads have been pretty cool with us staying at each others houses. I don't want to ruin it by making it seem like my top priority upon getting into town was getting their daughter into bed."

"Very responsible of you." The conversation was halted by the loud click of the gas pump as it reached the limit. As Jesse set the handle back on the pump, Brody said, "Hey, I know I already said this but thanks for letting me come with you. Letting me stay with you and your uncle for Christmas is a lot different than letting me stay for Thanksgiving. It means a lot."

"It's no problem," Jesse assured. "The house is way to big for just the two of us and we enjoy having you around."

"Still. Thank you."

"You're welcome." Jesse turned away from the gas pump. He gestured his head at the car. "Now get back in the car. It's freezing out here and I'm ready to get back on the highway."

Brody gave a mock salute with his coffee cup. As he marched around the car, he chanted, "Sir, yes, sir!"

"You shouldn't sass someone who's driving a two thousand pound death trap," Jesse said.

Brody gave a snort as he pulled his door open. "You love this car too much to crash it just to teach me a lesson."

"You're not wrong."

* * *

The drive to Lima passed in a way befitting boys their age.

They turned the radio up too loud on the highway. Jesse belted out a rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody that had Brody gaping at him and Brody rapped 8 Mile without missing a single word.

They settled the candy Brody had picked up in the middle counsel and reached for pieces as they argued on ballet vs modern dance. Brody gave him a run down on his opinions on dance trends ("The Cupid Shuffle is just stupid and repetitive. When it comes to a middle school dance, the Cha-Cha Slide is where it's at.") and Jesse told him about some of the more ridiculous costumes he'd worn in high school ("Vocal Adrenaline wore hot pink shirt for regionals. I was so happy I'd transferred when I saw them.").

It was different from the drive down with Adam for Thanksgiving, but Jesse found it wasn't in a bad way. It was just as comfortable and fun, only a little more quiet.

* * *

When Jesse pulled into the Berry's driveway, after dropping Brody off at his home and taking his bags up to his bedroom, it was going on eight o'clock.

He parked his car behind Rachel's Prius, not wanting to risk blocking one of her fathers incase they had to leave in a hurry, before climbing out.

His feet crunched in the snow as he walked up to the porch. He hurried up the stairs and rapped his knuckles against the doorway twice.

He drew his hands to his face as he waited.

"Jesse!" Hiram exclaimed as he swung the door open. "Come in, come in. You must be freezing."

"It's not too bad," Jesse dismissed as he stepped inside.

The man shot a meaningful glance towards Jesse's hands. "Your fingertips are bright red." Jesse just gave a small shrug. He let out a sigh that was half amused and half exasperated. "Rachel's in the living room. I'll make you some hot chocolate."

"You don't have to do that," he argued.

"I don't have to, but I want to." Hiram gave him a pat on the back before turning towards the kitchen. "Do you want yours made in regular milk or soy like Rachel's?"

Jesse hesitated for a moment before requesting, "Regular please."

He watched as Hiram held a thumb up above his head in understanding before toeing off his boots and setting his coat on the hooks by the door.

He padded through the entry and to the living room.

Rachel was sitting on her couch. Her legs were drawn up on the cushions with her and she had a stripped throw blanket wrapped around her. A movie was flickering on the TV screen in front of her and a steaming mug sat on the coffee table next to her.

He stepped carefully to make his way behind her without her noticing.

Then he darted down and placed his hands against her neck.

Rachel jumped, letting out a shriek at the initial contact.

A laugh bubbled out of his throat.

She tilted her head back, glaring up at him. Her hands came up to rest over his own. "You are not funny, Jesse!"

"I thought it was pretty funny," Jesse argued. He was smiling as he leaned down to kiss her forehead. He pulled back enough that they were looking into each others eyes. "I missed you."

"You were only gone for a week and a half," she pointed out.

"True, but I miss you when we're only apart for a day."

"You are such a romantic." Rachel's lips slid into a gentle smile. The anger dropped from her eyes, leaving warm fondness in its wake. Her fingers curled against the side of his hands. "I missed you too, though."

"I know you did." He pushed forward, ignoring the way the back of the couch dug into his stomach to reach for her lips. The kiss was a little awkward with them upside down from each others perspectives and his hands on her neck, but they made it work. When they pulled apart, he flicked his gaze towards the television. "What are you watching?"

"Enchanted. It's a Disney movie." She bumped her forehead lightly against his chin, a silent request. He pushed himself up right and allowed her to straighten up. Then he leaned over, wrapping his arms around her, and settled his chin on top of her forehead. "I'm still at the beginning. I could rewind it so you can watch it with me."

"Mmm..." He watched the characters on the screen for a moment before asking, "Is there singing?"

"Some, though it's not really that kind of Disney movie."

He hummed softly. Then requested, "Sing one of the songs for me. I refuse to watch a movie with a bad soundtrack, regardless of whether it's a musical or just music in the background."

"You are ridiculous."

"Maybe, but you love me enough to sing a song for me."

"I do," she agreed.

He tightened his arms around her and pressed a soft kiss to the crown of her head as she started singing, " _Storybook endings, fairy tales coming true. Deep down inside we want to believe they still do...In our secretest heart, it's our favorite part of the story. Let's just admit we all want to make it too. Ever ever after..."_

* * *

They pass the week before Christmas in a steady rhythm.

They have breakfast together everyday – she stays the night at his place Saturday, he stays the night at hers on Wednesday, and on the days in between he picks her up from her house and takes her to the only restaurant in town with a vegan friendly breakfast menu – and in the afternoons they attend her dance classes. Her teachers were his teachers not a year before, so they don't mind him sitting in or participating. He even accuses her tap teacher of looking a bit to excited to see them still together.

Their evenings shift depending on who's available.

They go out to coffee with Kurt and Blaine a few times (and Jesse picks up on the flirty vibes the very first time they went out together and spent the rest of the time making gagging faces at Kurt everytime Blaine and Rachel focused on each other). Puckerman brings his little sister over to Rachel's house one night and they make so many sugar cookies, apparently being Jewish doesn't mean not indulging in Christmas sweets, that Jesse isn't sure they'll be gone before Easter. There's one night they go out to the movies with Mike, Matt, and Tina and Jesse ends up having to hold laughter back the whole time because it almost seems like Tina is the third wheel there.

They spend an evening playing Trivia games with her fathers.

More than a few are spent with Brody and his uncle. They drive through the cities Christmas lights, Rachel both fascinated and confused by some of the displays, with Brody and Jesse singing along to the Christmas Carols on the radio. They sit on the couch one day and try to educate Rachel in the ways of dude movies – Jesse has a not so secret love affair going on with the _Speed_ soundtrack, Brody makes them watch all three Matrix movies even though he confesses to hating the third one, and his uncle tries to convince them that _Fast and Furious_ is actually good.

Kurt comes over on the twenty-third with a gingerbread recipe and a plastic bag full of candy. Their house falls apart within five minutes of finishing, Brody has Dots sticking to his cheeks, and Rachel's hair is absolutely streaked with white frosting but they all end up laughing until their stomach hurts.

* * *

"I don't understand," Rachel declared as she followed Jesse out into the living room on Christmas Eve. He settled down on the carpet in front of the tree, tugging her down with him. "Don't you open the presents on Christmas morning?"

"Yes," Jesse answered.

"Then why are we opening one tonight?"

"Because it's a St. James tradition," Joshua declared as he joined them. He bent down in front of the tree, reaching for the boxes under it. Brody followed after, settling down on Jesse's left.

"It's a pretty common tradition," Brody added. "I know plenty of people who open a present on Christmas Eve."

They went quiet as Joshua straightened up. He held out colorfully wrapped packages for each of them.

Rachel and Brody had both protested when they'd noticed the presents under the tree labeled for them. However, over the course of the week they'd come to terms with the fact that Joshua and Jesse weren't going to return them no matter what they said.

"Who's going first?" Jesse asked as he took the one held out for him.

"Rachel?" Brody suggested. He was turning the one in his hand around. "Since it's her first Christmas."

"It is not my first Christmas," Rachel objected. "I've been alive for-"

Jesse raised a hand, putting it over her mouth. "Shh, Rach. It's your first Christmas." She glared at him until he let his hand drop. "Open your present."

"If you ever do that again, I will bite you," Rachel promised as she tore the paper from her present.

It revealed a square box. She peeled the box open and found her breath taken away.

Nestled against black cloth was a simple silver chain necklace. There was a glittering blue gem shaped like a rain drop at the apex of the chain.

"It's a few days late for a birthday present," Joshua declared, "which is why I decided to give you that one for Christmas eve instead of waiting until tomorrow. But, it's made of tanzanite since that's one of your birth stones."

"We chose a raindrop for Don't Rain On My Parade," Jesse murmured. His hand had settled on her stomach, his thumb rubbing against her in a slow arc.

"It's beautiful," Rachel confessed. Her grip tightened on the box. "You didn't spend this much on every one of my presents, did you?"

"That was the most expensive," Joshua confirmed with a nod. A small smile played on his lips, "Though, the others certainly weren't cheap either."

"Oh my god." They turned their heads to find Brody staring at the necklace with wide eyes. "Please tell me nothing you got me was that expensive."

Jesse just shrugged. "St. James' are nothing if not good at throwing their money around."

"Jesse, I can't take it if-"

"Don't," Jesse cut off. His gaze sharpened as he locked eyes with Brody. "Look, I don't have many people in my life that I genuinely care about. I was too self absorbed in high school to make friends and my parents literally couldn't care less about me if they tried. My family is you guys. It's my uncle, and Rachel, and Kurt, and Adam, and you. I know it might seem weird since we haven't known each other very long, but that's just the way it is for me. We're giving you these gifts because we like you, not because we have to."

Brody reached up, running a hand through his hair. His gaze was still a little lost as he stared at the box in his hands. "Fuck, Jesse..."

"Jesse's right," Joshua added. "We invited you to stay with us for Christmas because we wanted you around Brody. Because we care about you."

"This is all way too much," Brody murmured. Though there were tears gathering in the corners of his eyes, there was also a warm smile on his face. "Thank you, guys."

"A thank you already?" Jesse teased, attempting to lighten the mood a bit. "I can't wait to see what you say when you actually open it and see what we got you."

* * *

 **En** : I wasn't technically lying when I said Christmas Break wasn't going to be three parts. It's not. It's going to be two!

Even though Kurt's part of their family, I didn't include him in this chapter much since I think he would probably be spending time with Burt, Carole, and Finn. Trying to celebrate their first Christmas together as a family.

Review and favorite/follow if you enjoyed!


	21. Christmas Break II

**Forever Has to Start Somewhere**

 **Chapter** **2** **1** **:** Christmas Break II

* * *

Christmas morning they gathered around the tree to open the rest of the presents.

Rachel got an assortment of jewelry and CDs ("I am never going to be able to wear any of this to school without worrying about a slushie staining it," Rachel lamented as she ran her finger along a silver bracelet set with amethysts.). Jesse and Brody both received new watches. Then Jesse unwrapped several new instruments ("I missed when you played the trumpet," Joshua said with a shrug of his shoulders when Jesse saw the case.) and new sets of sheet music for each. Brody received new dance shoes as well as figure skates and a premium membership for an ice rink near NYADA ("You said you'd like to try a musical on ice at some point," Jesse explained when Brody opened the skates. "I thought you should have a pair to practice with."). They handed Joshua a package of vodka laced chocolates and a bottle of his favorite whiskey that they'd asked Rachel's dads to pick up for them.

The rest of the morning was spent lazing around the house. They watched movies through the afternoon – _Love, Actually, Polar Express,_ and the live action version of _How the Grinch Stole Christmas._ After they ate dinner Jesse took a some of the new instruments for a spin. He played Gavotte on the trumpet because it had been one of his favorite pieces when he played frequently, made an attempt Time Keeper by Ronnie Laws on the saxophone even though he didn't remember that instrument quite as well, and played Hello for Rachel on his new keyboard.

* * *

"I didn't know you could play," Rachel murmured. She was sitting on the edge of his bed, watching as he settled the cases for his gifts in with his old keyboard set up. The sky had gone dark outside."Guitar and piano you told me, but not trumpet or saxophone."

"I stopped," Jesse said.

"Why?"

"Vocal Adrenaline took up most of my time once I entered high school and when I wasn't there I had dance classes or vocal lessons. I kept up on guitar and piano since they could be useful in competition," he explained. He straightened up once he had the cases set up. "I just didn't have time for the rest."

"Did you miss them?"

"Sometimes." He walked to her. She shifted so he could stand between her legs and wrapped her arms around his waist. She rested her chin against his stomach, peering up at him. "They were a large part of my life for a long time."

She gave a soft hum. "Can you play anything else?"

"I took violin lessons for a while, but I didn't enjoy it much." His fingers toyed with a loose strand of her hair, twirling it around. "I don't know if I told you yet, but thank you for celebrating Christmas with me even though I wasn't around for Hanukkah."

"It's fine," she murmured. Her fingers tapped against the middle of his back. "I wanted to spend the holidays with you and Christmas was more convenient this year."

"Still." Jesse let the strand of hair on his finger fall. He tucked it behind her ear. "I promise we'll do Hanukkah as well next year."

He watched as a smile spread across her face. "Next year, huh?"

"Next year," he confirmed.

He settled his hand over her hip and pressed his thumb against her skin. She took it for the push it was, falling down on her back and pulling him with her.

He hovered over her, taking in the way she looked with her hair sprawled out along his bed.

"You, Rachel Berry," he murmured, "are mine and I'm not intending to let you go anytime soon."

"I don't mind being yours," she whispered. Her hands slid up his back and buried in his hair. "As long as your mine as well."

"Sounds like a plan." Jesse leaned down until his lips ghosted against hers. "Seal it with a kiss?"

"Absolutely."

He captured her lips with his, letting their bodies communicate their promise for them.

* * *

Free of his duties as the member of a new family celebrating their first Christmas together, Kurt took to spending the week between Christmas and New Years at Jesse's place with them.

He and Rachel are both sleeping at their own houses, but that's pretty much all they were doing.

Joshua had given his chef the week off so they take turns making breakfast – Kurt has an awesome crepe recipe and Jesse makes omelets for the three of them on a day when Rachel doesn't come over until a little later – and figure out what to do for the day from there.

They go to the mall and Brody and Jesse carry the bags while Kurt and Rachel take advantage of the after Christmas sales. They go figure skating at the rink in Lima so Brody can start breaking in his new skates. They take a trip up to an all-ages karaoke bar in Westerville and end up speeding down the highway on their way back to make Kurt's curfew.

* * *

"Kurt and Rachel are spending the night, right?" Joshua asked as he came down the stairs on New Years Eve. He was pulling his coat on over his clothes, dressed for a work party he was attending.

The four teenagers were sprawled across the living room. Rachel and Kurt sat on opposite sides of the couch. He was holding her foot in his lap while he painted her toenails a teal green. Jesse sat on the floor near Rachel with his back against the couch. His guitar was slung over his shoulder and a book full of empty sheet music sat on his lap. He was jogging notes into the lines of the paper he was on. Brody was settled in the arm chair, his legs hanging off one side and his head hanging off the other. His phone was held in front of his face as he swiped at the game on the screen.

"Yeah," Jesse agreed. He didn't look up from what he was looking on. "We're gonna turn the Times Square Ball drop on later."

"Kurt and Rachel should come to New York next year," Brody mused. "We can go down and watch it live."

Josh smiled a bit. It seemed like Brody was finally getting the message that he was apart of this family of theirs now. "Alright then, I want all three sets of car keys. I'm leaving the key to the liquor cabinet with you."

"What?" All four of them said together. They turned to face him.

"Are you encouraging us to drink while underage?" Rachel questioned, her eye blown open wide.

"New Years is a special occasion," Joshua declared. He folded the collar of his jacket. "I'm not saying you have to get plastered, or even that you have to drink at all, but I know what teenagers are like. I would rather you be drinking in a controlled environment with my permission than out at a party where something could happen to you or your drinks could be messed with. Especially Rachel and Kurt, since I'm sure they haven't had any before."

He held his hands out, beckoning them towards him with his fingers. "Even if you aren't intending to drink, I want your keys just in case." There was a moment before the three teens tossed him their keys one at a time. "Thank you. I'll be back between one-thirty and two. Have a good night guys."

"Okay."

They all watched as he headed out the doorway.

"Did that really just happen?" Kurt questioned when they heard the door shut behind him.

"Uh huh..." Jesse murmured. "He's never done that before. He's usually pretty strict about limiting me to wine and champagne."

"Maybe he just trusts you more now?" Brody suggested. "You're the one who said you'd matured a lot recently."

"I did," Jesse agreed.

* * *

Rachel and Kurt went back to school on the third, so Jesse and Brody headed back to New York the same day.

They planned on arriving in New York later that day and sleeping the fourth away. On the fifth why were supposed to pick Adam up from LaGuardia.

As they set off on the highway, something in Jesse felt settled.

He wouldn't be able to make it back for a while, he was hoping he could swing Regionals but he wasn't quite sure yet, but he had spent enough time with the people he cared about that the distance would be bearable.

* * *

 **En:** So really quickly, I hope nobody is off put by the underage drinking thing in this chapter. My parents philosophy has always been what I described here - it's better for my sisters and I to drink on special occasions in a controlled and watched environment than at a party away from their eyes where we could get in trouble. I purposefully didn't mention whether Kurt and/or Rachel drank because that's gonna be relevant in a few chapters when I do Blame It On The Alcohol

We're back to our regularly scheduled programming - aka: 1 chapter based off an episode - in the next chapter.

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	22. The Sue Sylvester Shuffle

**Forever Has to Start Somewhere**

 **Chapter** **2** **2** **:** The Sue Sylvester Shuffle

* * *

"What the hell happened?" Jesse demanded. He was holding his own phone in his hands, staring down at a picture of Puck kneeling in front of Rachel as he wrapped bandages around her knuckles, while he spoke into Adam's.

"Mr. Schue has this brilliant plan to have the football players join glee for the week," Kurt said. "Rachel and Puck performed Need You Now and Azmio made an insult towards Puck. He tried to smash his guitar against Azmio's head and it developed into a full fledged brawl."

Jesse groaned and dragged a hand down his face.

He knew how much the Need You Now number meant to Rachel. She saw it as a chance to prove what she said prior to Sectionals, to show Mr. Schue the talent he was ignoring the club. As much of as pacifist as she was, he knew having that ruined for her would be enough to set her off.

"And she punched him?"

"Nailed him right in the cheek bone," Kurt informed.

"No one stopped her?"

"Sam and Matt both tried, but she ducked under them and went straight for him. Believe it or not, she's the only one who got a punch in."

"Of course she was," Jesse said with a heavy sigh. He pushed his hand through his hair as he questioned, "Where the fuck was Shelby during this whole thing? We hired her specifically to curb Mr. Schue's stupidity."

"She doesn't get to the school until right before Glee Club starts," Kurt said. "Mr. Schue and Coach Bieste planned this whole thing out at lunch. By the time, she got here it was already set."

He bit down on the urge to swear.

"Her hand's the only thing hurt?" Jesse questioned, his hand tightening around his phone as he focused back on the photo. He'd been so caught up in his shock that the how had been the first thing out of his mouth despite how worried he was for Rachel personally.

"Her hand is the only thing hurt," Kurt confirmed. "And even then, it's just a few split knuckles."

Even though she looked fine in the picture, having someone he knew wouldn't lie to him about her well being was enough for Jesse's shoulders to relax.

"Okay, okay," Jesse murmured. He pushed his hand through his hair and took a deep breath. "How are _you_?"

Kurt gave a soft hum before admitting, "It's not going to be a good week. That's for sure."

Jesse frowned. He didn't know much of what was happening with Kurt's bullying situation because Kurt never brought it up with him and he was reluctant to ruin the mood between them by bringing it up.

He glanced at Adam, who sat patiently on the floor with his back against Brody's bed, before saying, "I'll give Adam back his phone so you can talk to him."

"I would appreciate that," Kurt agreed. "I'll have Rachel call you as soon as Puck finishes up with her hand."

"Thank you," Jesse murmured. He held Adam's phone out for him. "All yours."

Adam flashed him a small smile as he closed his fingers around it. He drew the phone to his ear, greeting, "Hey, love."

* * *

"Hey, Berry." Rachel turned around in her chair, face still half zombiefied, to find Karofsky standing over her. "I know we're supposed to head to the choir room, but do you think you could help me with something before we do?"

Her eyes narrowed in suspicion, "Is this some rouse to get me alone so you can slushie me as badly as you did Artie the other day?"

"What? No." He rubbed nervously at the back of his neck. "I wanted your help with some of the dancing."

Out of the corner of her eye, Rachel could see Kurt watching them as he walked over to Mike. She tilted her head slightly, telling him silently to wait before he started summoning the cavalry.

"Wouldn't it be better to ask one of your teammates?" Rachel questioned. "Seeing as how the point of this week is to unite you and all."

"I was going to ask Finn, but then I overheard Hummel saying that he was surprised he managed to get the choreography right."

"Finn certainly isn't the best dancer on the team," Rachel admitted.

"And everyone in this school knows you wanna be famous or some shit," Karofsky continued. "So I figured you must have at least some experience."

She eyed him for a minute before saying, "Michael is a great dancer as well. You could have asked him."

"Mike may be one of us, but he's not going to get on my ass if I get anything wrong. I'm the one that keeps him from hitting that field on his ass." He gave a shrug. "You, on the other hand, aren't afraid of us at all. I saw the way you went after Azmio in the choir room."

She scrunched her nose. "Yes well, Need You Now was very important ot me. I didn't appreciate him ruining it by riling Noah up."

"Right..."

Rachel watched him for another moment.

Standing in front of her, Karofsky didn't seem at all like the person he was when he walked down the hallways. There was something nervous, shy, in the way he was shifting in front of her.

"I'll help you," Rachel agreed after a moment. "But Michael has to stay as well. I don't think my boyfriend would react kindly to finding out I let myself be alone with one of my main tormentors."

"That's fine I guess." He seemed to hesitate before giving her a small nod. "Thanks."

"It's no problem," she dismissed. She bit on her lip in thought for a moment before saying, "If you don't mind my asking, why the sudden interest in perfecting the number? I thought you didn't like the idea of doing it."

He shrugged. "Mr. Schue said he thought I could be good at it if I tried."

"You could," she agreed.

Shock flickered across his face. "Really? I thought he was just saying it because he's a teacher."

A small bolt of satisfaction crawled up her spine at the idea of her opinion on the matter seeming more professional then her teacher's.

"Really," Rachel said. "You've got a nice voice and it would make an excellent addition to the club. You're voice is low enough to compliment Kurt's high register. And you've certainly picked up the choreography quickly, even if you're unsure about it."

"That's good?"

"That's good," Rachel confirmed. She pursed her lips, casting another glance towards Kurt. The boy raised an eyebrow at her. She shook her head before turning to Karofsky. "If you find yourself enjoying the half time show, you should consider joining glee club. I know what you've been doing to Kurt is a little more extreme than what Noah ever did, but I think if we can all forgive him for throwing us in dumpsters and throwing slushies at us we can do the same for you."

"Rachel, can you come help me?" Matt whined. She tossed a glance over at him to find him sitting in front of one of the vanities with a pile of wipes in front of him. "It's not coming off."

"I'll be right there." She stood up, tossing the wipes she'd been using on her own face into the trash. She tilted her face up so she was still meeting Karofsky's eyes, despite their height difference. "You should consider what I said."

Without another word, she turned on her heel and walked away from him.

* * *

"You invited him to join the glee club?" Jesse screeched, coming to a sudden halt. He ignored the way the other people in the courtyard turned to stare at him. "Rachel! I thought we talked about this!"

"You told me not to put myself in anymore physical danger," Rachel responded. "I hardly think that counts."

"I'm pretty sure inviting one of your tormentors into your space is the definition of putting yourself in physical danger!" Jesse answered. He bit down the feeling of wanting to scream sense into her. He demanded, "What were you thinking?"

Rachel was quiet for a minute before saying, "He just seemed so different when he was asking me for help. I thought maybe he could use a place to be that person instead of the person he is in the hallways. The same way Noah does."

"You had a thirty second conversation with him. You couldn't possibly have determined that."

"I'm very good at reading people."

A groan left Jesse's lips. He resisted the urge to bury his face in his hands. He took a deep breath before asking, "Have you talked to Kurt about this? Karofsky is a lot worse to him than he is to you."

Rachel said, "Adam had suggested that Karofsky might be targeting him specifically because Kurt is so comfortable with himself and after I told him what I thought, Kurt agreed that it might be the truth. He said it would take him some time before he was comfortable with it, but that he was fine with testing it out."

"Fucking Adam," Jesse swore. He'd been hoping Kurt would put a full stop to this plan. He took another breath before saying, "Rach, I'm just not comfortable with this."

"It'll be fine," Rachel answered. "It's not like I'm going to be alone with him. Mr. Schue won't even give Noah a solo and he's been here practically since the beginning. He's certainly not going to give one to someone who just joined."

"That is not what this is about," Jesse argued.

"I don't see any other reason to worry. None of the others would allow him to hurt Kurt or I when they're in the room." There was silence for a minute before Rachel murmured, "Jesse, I really need you on my side with this."

Jesse felt like crying with frustration.

"It's like you're not hearing a single thing I'm saying," he forced out, his voice half amusement and half exasperation. He let out a soft sigh before adding, "You're certain about this?"

"No. But I'd still like to give a chance."

He scrubbed a hand over his face before nodding. "Alright. But be careful."

* * *

Rachel was standing at her locker the Monday after the Championship game when someone leaned against the locker next to her.

"Are you sure I'd do well in Glee Club?" Karofsky asked.

"Positive," she answered. She slammed her her locker shot and turned to look at him. "Despite all the drama and the fact that you had less practice time than the rest of us, you did spectacular during the half time show."

He watched her for a minute before confessing, "I don't want to be a loser. I had enough of losing during football season last year."

"We aren't going to lose," Rachel insisted. "Nationals is in New York this year. It's practically a sign that I'm meant to be there."

His lips turned up in a ghost of a smile.

"You know shit like that is why you get slushied right?" he questioned. Even though his words were rude, she could see the nervous and shy boy she'd seen in the auditorium shining through.

"I'm well aware that most of the students in this school detest the fact that I'm actually going to make it out of this town." She gave him a small smile of her own. "Glee club will be starting in a few moments. Are you coming with me?"

He rolled his lip nervously between his teeth. "You are absolutely sure it's okay? I've been horrible to all of you...Especially Hummel."

"Santana's pushed me to the same levels that you've pushed Kurt. I was playing with transferring for a very long time," she said. "The fact that you recognize that what you've done is wrong already puts you ages ahead of her."

Karofsky stared at her for a minute nodding. He tilted his head down the hallway, "Lead the way."

* * *

 **E/n:** Again not much St. Berry in this one, but me introducing another character. Lol remember back when I kept Matt so he could be around more often and than scrapped that almost immediately in favor of Shelby and Karofsky? Bc boy I do. Hopefully you guys are intrigued enough by where I'm going with this to not mind?

As of right now the roster for the future is complete (although I am planning on two members of the current glee club becoming even closer to Rachel). It's just going to be a lot of building their relationships.

Anyway, i actually hated that Azmio pissed pacifist rachel off enough for her to attempt to join the fight but than she got pulled back by Sam. So, I let her get to him in this. And I actually can't believe anyone would go to Finn Hudson for help in a dance number - surely even the football team knows how bad he is at dancing after the whole single ladies thing in season 1 - so I fixed that too.

Review and favorite/follow if you enjoyed!


	23. Silly Love Songs

**Forever Has to Start Somewhere**

 **Chapter** **2** **3** **:** Silly Love Songs

* * *

"I'm sorry I can't be there today," Jesse said.

"It's fine," Rachel answered. She was walking through the schools hallway with her phone pressed to her ear as she looked for a certain member of the student body. "I understand. If you're going to be here for regionals and prom, you need to pull ahead now.

"That doesn't make me feel any better about not being with you on our first Valentines."

"Valentines day is a manufactured holiday," she pointed out.

He gave a thoughtful hum. "That may be true, but at it's heart it's a holiday to show someone how much you love them."

"You shouldn't need a holiday to show someone that you love them."

"I'd like to think I'm good at showing you that I love you."

"You are quite good at that."

"So why can't I use Valentines as an excuse to do that in an even bigger way?"

She frowned at his words. "Jesse, please tell me you didn't plan anything too extravagant."

"You know, most girls are begging for expensive Valentines presents."

"Most girls didn't just receive several thousand dollars worth of jewelry from their boyfriends at Christmas."

"To be fair, not all of that was from me."

Her tone went firm, "Jesse."

He let out a full laugh. Amusement clung to his voice as he said, "I promise I didn't get you anything too extravagant, Rachel."

"You're fingers aren't crossed right now?"

"My fingers are not crossed right now," he repeated. "Neither are my toes or any other body part of mine."

Through the crowded hallway, she could see the back of Puck's mohawk.

"I have something else I have to deal with right now," Rachel declared, "but if I find out you're lying to me-"

"I'm not lying to you," Jesse assured.

"You'd better not be."

They exchanged a quick goodbye before Rachel hung up.

She had just placed her phone into a pocket on her dress when she reached Puck's locker.

"Noah, I need your help with something."

He glanced down at her before saying, "I'm not singing with you this week, Rach. Your boyfriend may be cool with us singing love songs usually, but even he's gonna have a problem with it when Valentines is right around the corner. And Lauren told me I had to serenade her if I wanted her to go on a date with me so I was planning on singing Fat Bottomed Girls to her."

"You think it's romantic to point her weight out to her?" When Puck opened his mouth, Rachel cut him off, "Don't answer that. I'm just going to tell you right now that it's highly offensive and she's not going to enjoy it. So you should go with my idea instead."

He stared at her for a moment. Then he asked, "What's your idea exactly?"

"I want you to sing Big and Rich's Lovin Lately with David," Rachel informed. "You can use it to serenade Lauren while introducing him to the club at the same time. I considered asking one of the others since, as you pointed out, it would tacky to sing a love song with someone other than Jesse during Valentines but ultimately decided David would be the most comfortable with you."

"Karofsky and I might be on the football team together, but we aren't exactly friends."

"No, but he expressed to me last week that he appreciated working with people who weren't too afraid of him to tell him when he was messing up." She waved a hand at him, "Like you."

"Well I'm definitely not afraid of the fucker," Puck said with a huff. He bit the corner of his lip before asking, "You really don't think she'll like Fat Bottomed Girls?"

"I'm fairly positive, yes."

A moment passed before he nodded. He slammed his locker shut. "I'll listen to the song. If it doesn't suck, I'll talk to him."

* * *

"Kurt." The glee club turned their attention to Shelby as she spoke up from the piano. She was sitting on the bench, leaning her elbow against the tray while she smiled softly. "Why don't you wrap us up with your number?"

"I think that's an excellent idea!" Kurt agreed.

He took several steps towards the center of the room before turning to face them.

His hands fiddled with something behind his back as he said, "I got a call recently from someone who I care about a great deal. He spent nearly half an hour whining about the fact that he couldn't be here to spend his first Valentines with his girlfriend."

"Oh!" Rachel squeaked. She brought her hands up to her mouth in surprise.

"So, to make him shut up I agreed to two things. The first was to make sure his girlfriend received this cheesy but absolutely gorgeous bracelet."

Kurt took his hands out from behind his back and presented Rachel with an open velvet box. She took it from his hands, examining the bracelet inside as she did so.

It was a simple silver chain with an infinity sign on it. She could see her name engraved onto the bottom of one loop while Jesse's was engraved in the top of the other.

"The second," Kurt declared, drawing her attention back to him, "was to make sure she knew how much she was loved even though he couldn't be here."

At the sound of shuffling behind her, Rachel turned her head.

She watched as Karofsky, Puck, Mike, and Matt all made their way down towards Kurt.

They flanked him, two on each side.

Matt stood the closest to the piano bench.

He grinned widely as he said, "Rach, you're a super great friend. I haven't really worked up the courage to do another number in front of the group yet, but without you giving me the confidence I wouldn't even be considering it."

Mike stood between Matt and Kurt. He said, "I know we haven't hung out much since I started dating Tina, but I really do appreciate you Rachel. It means a lot to me that you ask me for tips even though you're such a great dancer."

"You make kick ass cupcakes," Puck declared from his spot between Kurt and Karofsky. "And you're a pretty kickass yourself. You go after what you want and you've always encouraged me to do the same, no matter how many people call me a Lima Loser. Plus, I asked Lauren on our date and she confirmed that you totally saved my ass earlier this week by suggesting that duet for Karofsky and I."

Karofsky scratched the back of his neck. "We've really only been friends for a week, but you've already helped me a lot. You convinced me to join glee club and gave me a space to be something other than the asshole football player you see in the hallways. And I appreciate that." He flashed a nervous smile as he added, "And, Hummel said now that we were friends you probably weren't going to let me go so I should just show you how much I appreciate you now."

His words started a laugh out of Rachel.

She was so caught up in the affection welling in her chest, both for Jesse for arranging this and the boys in front of her for doing this, that she couldn't even hear Santana and Quinn's scoffs or Finn's confused whimpers.

"Rachel Berry, you are total diva. You shout a lot and still cry at musicals you've seen a million times and you storm out so often that it's really starting to lose it's effect," Kurt said. His smile softened into something more affectionate as he watched her. "But you're _my_ diva and the two of us are going to take New York by storm in two years."

There was a beat before the band started playing the music.

The boys started the song together, singing, _"When everything is wrong, I'll come talk to you. You make things alright when I'm feeling blue. You are such a blessing and I don't be messing with the one that that brings light to all of my darkness._ "

Kurt took the next line by himself, forming a heart and pointing it at her as she sung, " _You are my best friend and I love you and I love you. Yes I do._ "

The boys came together again, " _There is no other one that can take your place. I feel happy inside when I see your face. I hope you believe me because I speak sincerely and I mean it when I tell you I need you._ "

Puck winked at her and Karofsky gave her another one of his smiles as they sung together, " _You are my best friend and I love you and I love you. Yes I do._ "

" _I'm here right beside you. I will never leave you and I feel the pain when you start crying_ ," the five chorused.

Matt and Mike had their arms slung around each other. They were both grinning widely, pointing at her as they sung, " _You are my best friend and I love you, and I love you. Yes I do._ "

They closed the song together, all of their voices joining, " _You are my best friend and I love you, and I love you. Yes I do. Yes I do... Yes I do."_

They had barely finished singing before she was on her feet, gathering them all to her in a tight hug.

* * *

"So the thing is my friend Blaine and I started this week on opposite sides of the Valentines scale," Kurt said. He was standing on the stage in front of Breadsticks, speaking into a microphone. The Warblers were lined up to his side. "I didn't really believe in Valentines while Blaine really did. Blaine's opinion was recently changed by rejection-"

"Oi!" Blaine hollered from his spot with the Warblers. There was a good-natured smile on his face. "I thought we were doing this to make me feel better!"

Kurt waved a hand dismissively at him, causing laughter to ripple through the crowd in front of them. "However, my opinion was recently changed as well. I got to see dozens of girl's smiling into roses and a dozen boys with wide relieved eyes when they didn't get rejected. I got to see the laziest guy in my school try his hardest to woe over the girl he wanted. I got to see my best friend light up as she realized what her boyfriend had planned for her. And I decided that Valentines might be a holiday designed to sell chocolates, but that doesn't mean it's stupid. So without any more delay, I give you a Warblers Valentines concert, featuring special guest Kurt Hummel!"

" _I can't explain, the feelings plain to me, so can't you see?"_

* * *

"How was your Valentines dinner?" Jesse questioned. He propped his chin on of his hands, watching his girlfriend through the computer screen.

Rachel was sitting in her desk chair, her chin resting on her drawn up knees, in her pajamas. He could see the bracelet he'd bought her resting on her wrist.

"Good. The Warblers are fantastic performers," she answered. Her lips turned up in a warm smile, "The rest of my Valentines wasn't too bad either."

"No? You enjoyed your presents then?"

"Very much," Rachel agreed. "I must admit, though, that as much as I loved the boys' performance, I am a little disappointed I didn't get an actual love song."

"Oh?" He drawled out teasingly. "Was there someone in particular you were hoping to get one from?"

Her lips twitched in amusement.

She tilted her head down. One finger settled on her bottom lip and she looked up at him through her eyelashes as she murmured, "Well, I was hoping my boyfriend would sing to me. He's rather good at it."

"I think I can arrange that," he said.

He licked his lip before starting, " _Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm glad this week is over, I need to get away. Go home and throw my clothes on, come get you right away. Can't wait to see you looking lovely, I hope you're thinking of me. Cause all I want is time with you and I don't need nothing more."_

* * *

 **En:** I'm a little bit in love with this chapter. Hopefully no one minds too much that it's pretty much all Rachel & McKinley. There's been a lot of that recently and I'm hoping you guys are enjoying it at least a little bit?

So usually i try and keep the songs for a chapter to ones that were actually out when the episode would have aired, but my love for Noah Puckerman singing country music ruined that in the very first section of this chapter.

I'm starting to think I need to make a playlist for this fic so that I can remember which songs got used.

Songs in this chapter: there's mention of Puck and Dave doing "Lovin Lately" by Big and Rich, "My Best Friend" by Weezer, and "So In Love" by Jill Scott and Anthony Hamilton. There's also beginning of the Warblers canon performance of "Silly Love Songs".

Review and favorite/follow if you enjoyed!


	24. Comeback

**Forever Has to Start Somewhere**

 **Chapter** **2** **4** **:** Comeback

* * *

"Absolutely not," Shelby declared.

She was sitting in the second chair in Emma's office. Her legs were crossed at her knee and her arms cover her chest.

"See," Will declared, waving a hand at Shelby. There was a triumphant grin on his face. "I told you Shelby wouldn't go for it."

Emma shot him a look before fixing on her. "Shelby, Sue is a very fragile emotional state right club would be a good outlet for her."

"She spelled suicide using her own name. Her attempt involved incredibly weak vitamins," Shelby deadpanned. "She is perfectly fine. This is clearly an attempt to regain the attention losing at regionals took from her."

"Sue has a history of messing with the glee club. If she's in the club, you can keep a better eye on her."

"We'd also be giving her more information for when she inevitably turns on us." She continued, "Not to mention, I was hired for the sole purpose of protecting those kids from the bullying Will was allowing to happen. Sue has showed on multiple occasions that she's not against using their emotional states against them. There's too much going on in the club right now to add that to the mix."

The smile had fell off Will's face. He glanced over at her, "What do you mean?"

Shelby looked at him before heaving a sigh, "Honestly, are you really that oblivious to what's happening in that club? Rachel's been slowly recruiting various members of the club to do duets with so she can prove that she was right with what she said before sectionals – and, as I told you at sectionals, she is absolutely correct. People have been telling Sam that Quinn got mono by cheating on him with Finn and it's clear that while he doesn't necessarily believe it, he does think Finn has feelings for Quinn. Considering the fact that they already don't like each other, I don't imagine it's going to take very long for that to blow up. Then there's David's introduction to our club. Kurt may have okayed it, and the two of them have certainly made progress, but he's still dealing with a lot emotionally. Adding Sue's bullying into the mix would just be a disaster."

The other adults in the room gaped at her.

"How do you know that much about their personal lives?" questioned Emma.

"Because I pay attention to them," Shelby declared. She leaned forward so she could look at Will as she said, "You get so caught up in your own drama that you ignore what's happening in their lives. You tell those kids your there for them, but you have absolutely no idea what's going on in their lives until they tell you. There are kids in that group who need help, but will never come to you on their own. I don't know what happened to you Will, but you haven't been the same since last year. You were their hero. They talk about all the things you did for them constantly. You messed up before sectionals last year, but you found a replacement and fixed your mistake. You supported Finn and Quinn when you found out she was pregnant, and than did the same for Puck, Quinn, and Finn when you found out who the father was. You found a solution for Finn and Puck when they were on the verge of getting expelled for slashing Vocal Adrenaline's tires. You came to my _house_ to talk to me about the situation with Rachel and how I was harming her."

Shelby pushed her self to her feet as she took a deep breath. "You want to help Sue comeback from her depression? How about bringing yourself back from yours first. Because I'm working hard to get to know those kids and I'd like to think a few of them are starting to like me, but there's not a single one of them that don't want you back. Not even Rachel, for all her complaints about you."

She looked at Emma and stated, "Sue is not joining New Direction's for any period of time."

Then she turned on her heel, the move had both of the others in the room flashing back to Rachel doing the exact same thing, and strolled out of the room.

* * *

"They're all doing it?" Jesse questioned.

Rachel made an agreeing sound. "Everyone except Finn, Kurt, and David."

"Why aren't they?"

"Kurt said that while he loves Justin Bieber, he refuses to subject himself to any jokes by singing one of his songs. David excused himself by saying he didn't have anyone to sing Justin Bieber to. Finn thinks the whole thing it stupid, but I think that has more to do with everything going on with him and Quinn."

"Ah yes," Jesse said, drawing in a breath. "The great mono scandal."

"You are vastly overplaying this whole thing."

"New Directions overplays everything. I am simply following the trend." He took a sip of his latte. Now at the end of February, it had started to warm up again, but not enough for him to go back to iced drinks. "You should talk to him."

"Why?"

"You know better then anyone what it's like to be burned by Finn Hudson and Quinn Fabray's inability to think of anyone but themselves," he pointed out. "Don't you think he could use someone who understands?"

She hummed softly. "I think Santana is doing just fine on that front."

"Ahh I see..." He went quiet for a minute before saying, "Are you sure leaving him to Santana is a good idea?"

"No. But I'm not willing to get in her way either. I don't need another blowout with her this soon after the last."

"Fair enough."

They fell quiet for a while before Rachel said, "Bringing us back to the original topic, feelings on Justin Bieber?"

"Personally, not a fan," Jesse answered. "Professionally, I recognize that he fits perfectly into the mold of a teen idol while still being moderately talented. His popularity is understandable."

"Mmm..."

He picked out exactly where her train of thought was heading. "I take it the Justin Bieber Experience has appealed to you as well?"

"A little bit," she admitted, a trace of embarrassment in her voice.

He smiled to himself. He hummed a bit before singing softly, " _I always knew you were the best, the coolest girl I know. So prettier than all the rest. The star of my show."_

* * *

"Mercedes!" Rachel called as she hurried up to her. She came to a stop in front of her locker. Mercedes watched her with a raised eyebrow. "I just wanted to say thank you for performing with me this week."

She stared at her for a minute before slamming the door shut.

She looked down at Rachel as she said, "Look, I don't really like you. I find you annoying and obnoxious and somehow you managed to steal my best friend over the summer even though he couldn't stand you when school let out." Rachel opened her mouth to say something, only to be cut off by Mercedes speaking again, "But, you know what your talking about when it comes to singing. I appreciate you sticking up to Mr. Schue and trying to show him that you and Finn aren't his only options."

"You're a great singer, Mercedes," Rachel complimented. "I consider myself more talented, but I have never denied that fact."

They watched each other for a minute.

"Rachel!" Both of their heads turned to see Matt and Mike standing at the end of the hall. "You have a free period right now, right?"

"Yes," she called back. "Do you need help with something?"

"Pre-Calc," Matt admitted.

"I'll be right there." Rachel turned her attention back to Mercedes. She gave a small smile, "Like I said, thank you for performing with me despite the fact that we don't really get along."

She gave a small nod before jogging towards Mike and Matt.

Mercedes watched them walk away. As she did, a thought of what could have been ran across her mind.

"Mercedes!" she turned her head to see Quinn hurrying towards her. The broken look on the blonde's face reminded Mercedes of when she'd stayed with her while pregnant. "Can I stay with you for the night?"

"Of course," Mercedes agreed, all thoughts of Rachel chased away from her mind. "What happened?"

"Sam found out that I kissed Finn. He's going out with Santana now."

* * *

 **E/n** : So i always found it unrealistic that Mercedes and Quinn weren't closer when Mercedes had practically carried her through her pregnancy and labor? Fixed that.

I feel like there hasn't been a lot of St. Berry in the last few chapters? Hopefully you don't mind that? Let me know if you do!

Songs in this chapter: Justin Bieber's "Favorite Girl"

Happy holidays!

And review and favorite/follow if you enjoyed!


	25. Blame It On The Alcohol

**Forever Has to Start Somewhere**

 **Chapter** **2** **5** **:** Blame It On the Alcohol

* * *

"I think I made a mistake," Rachel said as soon as Jesse picked up the phone.

"Oh?" She could hear the amusement in his voice. "What'd you do?"

"Noah found out that my dads are out of town and convinced me to have a party."

"Really?" Disbelief this time and a hint of pride. "How did that happen exactly? Because I love you, but you are definitely not the type to throw a party while your parents are out of town."

"Well, you know how Finn's been supporting me on the original songs?"

Jesse hummed in agreement. "I still don't understand why he has to be all sneaky about it."

"Neither do I," Rachel agreed with a frown. If Finn truly supported her on her original song idea, why couldn't he just come out and say it? She shook the thought from her mind as she continued, "Well, when I showed him the song I'd come up with, he suggested that I find a different inspiration."

"And so you agreed to let Puck throw a party in your house?"

"Yes. He agreed to keep it small, though. Glee kids only."

Jesse made a soft sound before asking, "You know, that's not going to stop him from busting open your liquor cabinet, right?"

"The thought occurred to me, yes."

"Are all of the glee kids going to be there?"

"Yes. Kurt is inviting Blaine as well so that he has someone with him while David's around."

"From what you've told me about them, I don't think anything will happen, but I'll let Adam know he might get a call."

"Mmm."

"I know you're doing this thing at your house, but be careful please?"

Rachel's lips quirked in an amused smile. "You sound like my father."

"I'm just worried about you," Jesse answered. "A lot can happen when you get a group of drunk teenagers together. I went to enough Vocal Adrenaline parties to know."

"We'll be careful," Rachel promised. "And I'll call you the next morning."

"Lovely."

In the distance, Rachel heard the sound of a key in the lock and the door opening.

She craned her head back to see Kurt pushing the door open. When he spotted her watching him, he said, "I'm here to make sure you don't wear anything horrendous."

She frowned at him for a moment before asking, "Why did you steal the spare instead of just knocking on the door? You must have seen my car in the driveway."

"Figured you wouldn't have a problem with me letting myself in," Kurt answered with a shrug. He stepped inside, slipping out of his shoes, and hanging his coat on the hook by the door.

"I don't. I'm just a little confused as to why you chose to break into my house."

On the phone, Jesse inquired, "Kurt?"

"Yes." She pushed herself up from the armchair. "He says he's going to help me pick an outfit."

"Not help," Kurt corrected. "I'm going to pick an outfit and your going to put it on without complaint."

She wrinkled her nose at him.

"Switch to skype?" Jesse asked.

"I'm not skyping you while I'm changing, Jesse."

"Change in the bathroom. I can talk to Kurt while you're in there."

She sighed as she followed Kurt up the stairs to her bedroom. "Fine, fine. I'm hanging up now. I'll call you in a moment."

* * *

Rachel sat in the v of Karofsky's legs, her back pressed against his chest, watching as Blaine spun the bottle.

She'd opted out of the game. She hadn't drunk enough to feel anything more than a pleasant buzz and had been able to point out that kissing another during a game was more acceptable when your significant other was in the room with you than when they were in a different state. The others, with the exception of Kurt and Finn who weren't drinking, had been too far gone for more than a few initial protests.

"Kurt!" Blaine exclaimed as the nose of the bottle came to a stop in front of him.

"Blaine," Kurt answered back. His cheeks were flushing a bright red and his lips were curled in a small smile.

"I get to kiss my favorite person!"

Rachel wasn't really all that surprised that Blaine wobbled as he leaned towards Kurt. Blaine was smaller than everyone else in the room – with the exception of her –, but Puck had been handing him drinks without any sympathy.

Kurt met Blaine halfway.

As his fingers curled around Blaine's neck and Blaine fisted Kurt's hair, Rachel felt Karofsky's hands curl.

She craned her head back.

His mouth was pressed into a hard line, pale pink lips turned white with pressure. His eyes were wide, a mixture of anger and jealousy and hurt stewing in them.

"Oh," she murmured as she took it in. She lifted a hand above her head, placing it on his cheek. The contact had his gaze drifting down to her. Her tongue was just loose enough for her to whisper, "You like him."

Karofsky's eyes widened further. Surprise and fear.

She curled her fingers against his face as she murmured, "I won't tell anyone."

He was tense against her for a few moments, his eyes darting around the room. The others were too busy hooting and hollering to hear their conversation.

"You can't," he whispered after a moment. His hand came up, resting over hers. "Please."

"I won't," she repeated. She flipped her palm so they were holding hands and squeezed tightly. "It's okay, David. It'll be fine."

* * *

The beeping of his phone on the nightstand roused Jesse from his slumber. He slung a hang behind him, groping blindly from his phone.

"'Lo?" he grumbled when he managed to bring the phone to his ear.

"Jesse!"

"Rachel," Jesse said. He resisted the urge to cry at how giddy and excited she sounded. If he hadn't known she'd been drinking already, he would have when he heard her. "What do you want?"

"Nothing!" her voice had a sing-song quality to it. "I just did a duet with Blaine and I started thinking about you because he goes to a different school too! Do you think if I dated Blaine they would threaten to kick me out of New Directions again? I hated when they did that with you."

"You already have a boyfriend," Jesse said. He couldn't muster the energy to be amused with his girlfriend's drunk antics. "Remember?"

"Of course! It's you!" Rachel answered. "I was just speaking hypothetically."

"You are the only person I know who can still use the word hypothetically when they get drunk enough to start dialing."

"It's three in the morning," Brody groaned from his bed. "Hang up on her or get out."

Jesse let out a groan of his own before swinging himself up. He wrapped his blanket around his shoulders before trudging towards the door.

As much as he wanted to be sleeping again, he wasn't going to leave Rachel when she was clearly out of her mind.

He slipped out of the room and slid down the floor, leaning his back against the door.

"Where's Kurt?" Jesse questioned, cutting Rachel off midway through her listing six syllable words she could still say despite her intoxication level. "Isn't he supposed to be taking care of you guys?"

"I think he's washing Tina's hair. She puked on it."

Jesse wrinkled his nose. He tilted his head back, letting his eyes drift shut as he followed with, "And Finn? He's sober too, isn't he?"

"He took Sam to get donuts."

"Why?"

"Sam wanted donuts. He said he was going to drive himself if Finn didn't take him."

"I see."

"Jesse?"

"Mmm?"

"Will you sing for me? We did karaoke and no one sounded as nice as you do."

"Uh huh." He took a minute, swallowing the urge to groan at the things he was willing to do for this girl, before starting the first song that came to his head, " _I've been alone with you inside my mind. And in my dreams, I've kissed your lips a thousand times."_

* * *

When Adam returned to his dorm after his morning shower, he found the notification light on his phone was blinking.

As he scrubbed his towel against his hair, he grabbed it from the nightstand and thumbed open his messages.

 _Kurt (8:34am):_

 _Blaine and I kissed last night._

 _I can't decide if it sucked because it was horrible or because he was drunk._

Adam's stomach churned and he was suddenly glad he hadn't gone for breakfast before showering.

Adam had known Kurt had a crush on his friend, had sat through numerous conversations where Kurt attempted to analyze Blaine's actions, but it had never seemed to him like there was a real possibility of them getting together.

He let out a heavy sigh as he started a reply.

As much as he didn't want whatever was happening between Kurt and Blaine to continue, for more than just one reason, he wasn't going to leave Kurt waiting.

Above all else, Adam wanted Kurt to be happy. Even if that meant dealing with how the possibility of Kurt spending less time speaking to Adam and more time with his potential boyfriend made Adam feel.

* * *

 **En:** I really am not sure how I feel about this chapter so your feedback on it would be super appreciated.

I didn't plan on Rachel finding out about Karofsky, or it going to smoothly. But I thought Rachel would probaly realize it's something you wait for someone to tell you if she was sober and Karofsky would have been very confrontational (as he is with both Kurt and Santana when they find out) if he was sober.

So yeah.

Review and follow/favorite if you enjoyed.


	26. Sexy

**Forever Has to Start Somewhere**

 **Chapter** **2** **6** : Sexy

* * *

"It's not funny, Jesse!"

"I would beg to differ," Jesse wheezed between laughs. "Brittany still thinks storks deliver babies and Finn and Mercedes thought cucumbers could cause STDs."

Rachel huffed and stamped down the urge to stomp her foot. "Ms. Holiday had us put condoms on vegetables and Noah wouldn't stop making fun of me for how quickly I got it done! It was mortifying."

"Why?" Jesse questioned. He took a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. It wasn't working very well. "You've never been shy about our sex life before. You practically jumped me in front of the glee club when I surprised you at Thanksgiving and Kurt has literally dragged us out of my bed before."

"Shelby was in the club room with us!" Rachel said.

"Your dads aren't exactly ignorant to what we're doing when I stay the night," Jesse pointed out. The sudden, serious turn in the conversation had sobered him a bit. "Why's it any different with Shelby?"

"My dads have known me my whole life. They know what kind of person I am. Shelby is still forming an opinion of me."

"I thought you didn't care what Shelby thought of you?"

"I don't care how she feels about me in regards to being my mother. However, she's still my glee coach! If Shelby thinks I'm some sort of whore, she might not give me any solos!"

"Whore?" Jesse's lips turned down. A deep frown etched into his face. "Rachel, I'm your boyfriend. We've been together almost a year. No one with any sense would see you as a whore for sleeping with me."

"Ms. Pillsbury's been married for four months and she's still the president of the celibacy club."

"Ms. Pillsbury is a mysophobic in love with a man who isn't her husband," Jesse pointed out. "And the celibacy club at your school is a joke. The only student member is Quinn who was pregnant last year and cheated on her boyfriend this year."

"Jesse!" Rachel chided. There was an amused lit to her voice that made it clear she was objecting based on principle whether than actually caring that Jesse was pointing out the flaws of her main tormentor.

Jesse took a deep breath. He pushed the hand not holding his phone through his hair. "Rachel, seriously what's going on here? Because I'm having a hard time believing that this is actually about Puck teasing you for knowing how a condom works."

There was a long pause before Rachel murmured, "So maybe I still care a lot about what Shelby thinks of me. I want her to see me as someone she regrets letting go of."

"I guarantee you that she already sees you as that person," Jesse said, thinking about the conversation he'd had with his former coach before Sectionals. He let out a soft sigh before adding, "I think the problem here if that you're trying to separate your mother from your glee coach and that's not going to happen. She's always going to be both of those people. You just have to learn how to balance those people."

They went quiet.

After a moment, Rachel said softly, "Things are so much easier when we have these conversations in person."

"It _is_ easier to calm you down when I'm actually near you," Jesse agreed. "Luckily, I'll be there for regionals next week so I can calm you down from whatever disaster inevitability pops up."

"Oh don't say that," she groaned. "You'll jinx us."

"Mmm. Alright, tell me more about this sex ed lesson then."

* * *

"He asked your dad to do what?" Adam demanded. He was sitting at his desk in his dorm room, a half written essay on his laptop in front of him. He'd been writing it right up until Kurt had told him the latest event in his and Blaine's friendship.

Kurt gave a soft sigh. "He asked my dad to talk to me about sex."

"He told you literally two days ago that you weren't sexy and now he's worried about you having all sorts of crazy gay sex?"

"Apparently," Kurt said. Adam heard papers being shuffled on the other end. "My dad brought me all these...pamphlets."

"Oh my god, why do you even like this kid?" Adam wondered. "He tells you he doesn't like you and than flirts with you all the time. You tell him something makes you uncomfortable and he goes out of his way to put you a situation that involves it."

Kurt gave a small hum. "Nobody's perfect, Adam."

"Yeah, but there are plenty of gay guys out there who would treat you better than he does."

"Like who?" Kurt said with a snort.

Adam had a split second to think about how bad a decision he was making before he blurted out, "Me."

There was a brief silence before Kurt echoed, "You?"

"Yeah, me," Adam agreed. His mouth felt like it had been filled with cotton, but he pushed through his discomfort. "I like you Kurt. A lot."

"You like me?" Kurt repeated. "But you never-"

"I'm your friend first and foremost," he interrupted. "I just want you to be happy. You were so into Blaine that I didn't want to get in the way just because I started having feelings for you, but he's an idiot who clearly doesn't realize how amazing you are. And god, Kurt, you are so amazing. I don't know how he could possibly think you aren't sexy because your absolutely gorgeous and I don't know how he isn't in love with you after spending all that time with you because you've got an absolutely lovely personality. You're so kind, not to mention witty and intelligent."

"You really see me like that?"

"I've never lied to you before. I'm not about to start now."

"I don't know what to say?" Kurt said after a moment. "I mean, I've thought about what it'd be like to date you before but I never thought it was a real possibility."

Adam leaned back in his chair. He stared at the ceiling above him. "I'll be here for you even if you're not interested, but please at least give it some thought?"

"Yeah," Kurt murmured. His soft was soft. "I will."

"Brody and I were going to come down with Jesse for Regionals since spring break starts the week after," he said. "We can talk then?"

"That sounds great."

He chewed gently on the inside of his lower lip. He said, "I know I made this conversation awkward, but I'd still like to hear about the rest of your week. What's happening with glee club and that substitute?"

"Oh, well, I think she and Mr. Schue are going to end up screwing by the end of the week. He did this incredibly sensual tango to Kiss with Ms. Corcoran, but he couldn't take his eyes off Ms. Holiday."

* * *

"So, I almost joined the celibacy club today," Rachel declared.

It took Jesse a moment to process the information. When he had, he floundered for a moment before asking, "Do you want to talk to me about something?"

"Lauren, Santana, Brittany, and Artie all joined after that performance of Afternoon Delight," Rachel said. "None of them are celibate so I thought it would be okay for me to join as well."

"So that Shelby would think you were?"

"Uh huh."

Jesse let out a soft sound before pointing out, "You said almost though."

"I found out Ms. Pillsbury quit so she could fix her marriage and Quinn's taken over. I wasn't too pleased with the idea of being under her thumb."

"Understandable."

"I thought about what you said when I was on my way home," Rachel said. He made a sound to urge her on. "I almost agreed to something I knew would be a huge lie just to impress Shelby and I hate that. I don't like the kind of person I turn into when I'm trying to get her attention. It reminds me too much of what I was like when I was chasing Finn."

"What exactly are you going to do about it then? You can't just find a new mother who is more talented and better looking."

The light laugh that Rachel let out brought a smile to Jesse's face. This whole sexy thing had wound her so tight that most of their interactions that week had involved her venting and him trying to calm her down.

"No, I can't," Rachel agreed. "I want her to regret letting me go because of who I am, though, not because of who I pretend to be. So, I'm going to stop trying to impress her and just be...me."

"I am all for that plan, given that I absolutely adore you, but are you sure you can?"

"I think I can at least try," Rachel said. "And if I'm struggling, you'll be there for me."

"Absolutely."

* * *

 **En:** Hello! I know it's been a while, but I took a small break (literally a week) in order to recharge and get things flowing again.

So on the note of the actual chapter: I honestly was planning on just torturing Adam through a few weeks of Klaine relationship? But then I rewatched the episode and was like "god blaine is really really dumb" and this ended up happening.

Also, does it seem like Jesse has too many breaks too close together? I write this fic as if the weeks the episodes came out were the weeks the events in it are occurring - placing this chapter the week of March 8th and the next March 15th which is around spring break time for a university according to google (a little late actually given that spring break is the week after regionals not of) - but since Glee took several small week or two breaks around this time it seems as though everything has happened very quickly? Let me know what you think.

Review and favorite/follow if you enjoyed!


	27. Original Song

**Forever Has to Start Somewhere**

 **Chapter** **2** **7:** Original Song

* * *

Jesse sat on Adam's desk while Brody sat in the chair in front of him. Both of them were watching Adam with amused smiles.

The blonde was a flurry of nervous movement as he paced around his room. He double and then triple checked surfaces, asked for their opinion on the items he was placing in his suitcase only to ignore them as he tossed them back into his closet, and dug his hands into his hair in frustration.

"You know we're supposed to be leaving in an hour right?" Brody asked. His voice was filled with amusement as Adam took a handful of items from his suitcase and tossed them into the dresser drawer he'd left open.

"I'm well aware," Adam answered.

"Are you?" Jesse questioned, arcing an eyebrow. He laid his palms down behind him and leaned back. "Because you don't look anywhere near ready to leave."

"Excuse me for wanting to make sure I look good this week."

"I think you can look good without spending three hours picking out your clothes."

"Not good enough," Adam stressed.

Brody and Jesse exchanged a look before Brody moved. He wrapped his hand around Adam's arm, stopping the blonde as he moved towards his closet.

When Adam looked down at him, Brody said, "It's going to be fine, Adam."

He deemed to deflate a little under the scrutiny. He let out a harsh breath. "You can't know that."

"We can," Jesse interrupted. He kicked his foot forward so it bumped gently against Adam's shin. "No matter what he says, Kurt isn't going to suddenly hate you."

"I'm not worried about him hating me. I'm just worried about him feeling awkward if he doesn't feel the same way and then never speaking to me again."

"Not gonna happen," he said. "I highly doubt he's going to reject you, but even if he didn't that won't happen. Maybe things won't be the same right after, but you're important to him. He's not going to let go of that unless you make him."

Silence reigned among the trio.

Tentatively, Adam asked, "You don't think he's going to reject me?"

Jesse let out a low chuckle. He gave a shake of his head. "I sincerely doubt it."

"Now, find some shirts and put them in your suitcase please," Brody said. He released his grip on Adam's arm, patting him twice. "Your panic is putting us behind schedule."

* * *

They arrived in Lima on Thursday night, just after the sun went down.

Jesse had been banned from Rachel's house lest he distract her the day before an important competition and it wasn't not very late, so after they dropped their bags off Josh offered to take them all out to dinner.

None of the boys were eager to get back in a car after the long drive, so they all agreed to walk to the grill a little ways from the St. James house.

As Adam argued with Josh about the proper way to eat a steak and Brody teased Jesse for swirling his finger around in the whipped cream on his milkshake, they found it easier to laugh.

It was easier for Adam to think about something other than the situation with Kurt, easy for Jesse to worry less about the outcome of Regionals, easier for Brody to forget that Spring Break would make the third holiday he'd spent away from his parents.

The warmth of their friendship made it easy to forget the problems in their lives.

* * *

"Jesse. I didn't know you were going to be here."

Jesse turned in his seat to find Mr. Schue and Shelby settling into the seats behind him.

He put a smile on his face. "I wouldn't miss one of Rachel's competitions. Especially not when she's debuting her first song."

"Have you heard it?" Shelby asked.

Jesse gave a small nod. "She wanted my opinion on it."

"Mmm..." Shelby hummed. "Did she tell you what it was about? We asked her to write about pain and there's plenty in Get it Right, but she never told me here it came from."

"That's because Rachel's too good a person to tell you that she wrote it about you," Jesse deadpanned. He saw the way Shelby's eyes widened, hurt flashing through them. Mr. Schue made a soft surprised noise and reached his hand down to squeeze Shelby's knee in a show of comfort. He continued, "She told me she drew on the fact that she felt like she would always be trying to be good enough for you. She was hoping the song would help stop it."

"She really...?" Shelby questioned.

Even though she had trailed off, the end of the sentence still hung between them.

 _She really feels that way?_

"Between last year and this year, she doesn't really have any reason not to."

"Jesse!" He turned his head to Brody. His roommate was sitting next to him with a program opened on his lap. Adam was on Brody's otherside, leaning over to peer at the paper as well. Instead of having set-lists, the program had a picture of the participating show choirs. "Which one of these guys is that Finn dude? I wanna see if he's cuter than you."

Jesse didn't turn around before saying, "He's not."

"You had coffee with Kurt and Blaine over Christmas break, right?" Adam questioned. While Brody was focused on the picture of New Directions at the bottom of the page, Adam was focused on the picture of the Warblers just above it. "Which one of them is he?"

"Excuse me," Jesse said to Shelby and Mr. Schue. Without another word to the pair behind him, he turned to his friend to start pointing out the people they were looking for.

* * *

"We're going to New York!" Rachel screamed as she flung herself into Jesse's arms.

He caught her easily. He wrapped his arms around her waist, lifting her just slightly into the air.

She let out a happy shriek as she buried her face in his neck. With her feet off the ground, she kicked them excitedly.

"I am so proud of you," he whispered into her hair. His voice was fierce with the force of his words. He pressed a kiss against the spot just under her ear.

They held each other for a moment longer before Brody piped in, "You did fantastic, Rachel."

She went to squirm out of Jesse's grip, but he just adjusted his hold to keep her there. She made a sound somewhere between an annoyed huff and a happy sigh before wrapping her legs around his waist. He smiled and pressed a kiss against her cheek as she turned to see Brody.

"Thank you," she said.

"It sounded even better in person than it did over skype," Brody continued. "Which I didn't think was possible given that it sounded great all one hundred times I heard it."

"I am nothing if not dedicated," Rachel dismissed.

"I enjoyed it as well, darling," Adam said. He flashed her a smile twinged with nerves. "Is Kurt coming out to say hello?"

Jesse felt Rachel tense in his arms. He gave her hip a light squeeze.

"No," Rachel said, letting out a soft breath. "I got permission from my dads to leave with you guys instead of taking the bus back, but Kurt didn't. He was saying goodbye to Blaine when I saw him last."

Adam's face fell. "Ah... I see."

Brody bumped his hip lightly against Adam's. "Don't make that face. The two of you are getting coffee tomorrow to talk it out properly, aren't you?"

"We are," Adam agreed, though there wasn't much change in his expression.

Jesse frowned for a brief moment before turning his attention back to Rachel, "Are you ready to go then? Taken pictures with the trophy and everything?"

"Yes. My dads wanted to take a picture of us together, but I told them I was ready to leave and they said it was fine."

"They can take pictures in a few weeks when I'm here for prom." He adjusted his grip on her as he said, "Would you be offended if I carried you out the car? I want to hold you a little longer."

"I suppose I could handle it."

"Great." He ducked in, pressing a kiss to her shoulder this time. "Come on then. Let's go get some ice cream. We can celebrate and let Adam wallow at the same time."

"I'm not wallowing," Adam objected.

"You are," Brody said with a laugh. He slung an arm around Adam's shoulders, pulling the other into a friendly headlock. "And we'll gladly let you eat your feelings in ice cream until you feel better."

* * *

 **En:** I didn't feel a huge need to make major changes to Original Song, other than the reason behind "Get it Right" so I focused more on Jesse's side of things. They'll be some sappy romance stuff and other things during the spring break chapter (the next chapter that is).

Review and favorite/follow if you enjoyed!


	28. Spring Break

**Forever Has to Start Somewhere**

 **Chapter 28:** Spring Break

* * *

"Hey."

Adam turned his head and smiled when he saw Kurt approaching him.

"Hey," he greeted softly. He gestured at the table, "I got you your drink already. A nonfat mocha, right?"

Kurt nodded, flashing Adam a small smile as he moved to sit down. "Thank you."

"No problem."

There was a moment of silence. Adam tapped his fingers nervously against his own cup while Kurt traced the edge of his with a fingernail.

"So um," Adam interrupted. He winced a bit at just how awkward it sounded. "Congratulations on your win last night."

"Thank you, though I must admit the primary reason we won was because Rachel found a masterpiece in Get it Right."

"No matter how great it was, you still would have lost if Loser Like Me hadn't been amazing in it's own right." He raised a questioning eyebrow, "And that was a group effort, wasn't it?"

"I can see your point."

Another silence settled over them.

Adam was able to handle it for all of a minute before he let out a dejected sigh. He reached up, running fingers through his hair. "God, Kurt, I'm sorry. We haven't seen each other since Thanksgiving and this should have been a fun reunion between friends. But I had to ruin it by opening my stupid mouth and making it into this awkward thing where you try and figure out how to reject me and I just-"

"What?" Adam stopped mid tangent. Kurt's mouth had dropped open and shock was clear in his eyes. "I'm not trying to reject you."

Adam floundered for a minute before he managed to choke out, "You're not?"

Kurt gave a vehement shake of his head. "I was trying to say _yes._ I just wasn't sure how to bring it up and-"

"Yes?" Adam questioned. A smile spread over his lips and a giddy, dizzy feeling settled in his head. "You're gonna say yes?"

"Well, um, yes?"

Adam leaned forward, setting his elbows on the table. He was aware that his smile was only widening. "Kurt, I know this may be a little forward, but would it be alright if I kissed you?"

His cheeks flushed a deep red. Kurt looked down before glancing at Adam through his eyelashes, "You really want to?"

"Very much," Adam assured.

There was a brief moment before Kurt nodded. "I'd like that."

"Fantastic."

Without another word, Adam lifted himself far enough off his seat that he could lean across the table. He placed a hand against Kurt's cheek, his thumb stroking lightly under Kurt's eye.

"Thought you were gonna kiss me?" Kurt questioned. He sounded a little breathless.

"I am," Adam murmured. "But you have very pretty eyes. It would be a shame not to spend a moment admiring them."

"I have really soft lips. Could you admire that instead?"

Adam gave a light chuckle. "Of course."

Then he leaned forward to seal his lips over Kurt's.

* * *

When Adam and Kurt returned from their coffee date hand-in-hand, the others were waiting in the living room. After some cheering and good-natured teasing, they settled in the living room with the ice cream they'd bought the night before just in case. Rachel ate from a bowl of vegan caramel cinnamon ice cream as the boys crowded around the TV to play Halo, making unappreciated comments on their skill levels as the rounds went by and Kurt wracked up the highest kill total. Kurt and Jesse made their way through cones packed with lemon ice cream as Brody and Adam taught Rachel to play Mario Kart. After dinner, Brody and Adam took spoonfuls from a carton of moose tracks as Kurt, Jesse, and Rachel argued over what musical to watch.

They all decided to pile in the living room to watch _Les Miserables_ once the trio had come to their decision. They fell asleep in a heap on the floor, Kurt and Adam's hands loosely intertwined while Rachel and Jesse were pressed close together and Brody laid across all of their legs.

On Sunday the house filled with music and laughter.

Jesse took the trumpet he'd gotten for Christmas out and played a few pieces. Brody and Rachel did a duet of _A Change Would Do You Good_ with choreography which had them both breathless with laughter. Adam sung _Baby Got Back_ to Kurt laughing even as his face flushed bright red. Continuing the trend, Kurt dragged Jesse into a duet of _Hips Don't Lie_ that had Brody pounding his fists against the floor and tears of laughter streaming down Rachel's cheeks.

* * *

"This is so weird," Brody murmured as he followed Jesse down the hallway. Adam fell into step with them, his hands shoved in his pockets as he looked around. "I haven't been in a high school in forever."

"You're acting as though that was much longer ago than it was," Adam said.

McKinley didn't go on Spring Break until the week after, but Jesse had wanted a chance to catch up with the members of New Direction's that he was friendly with. Having nothing better to do, Adam and Brody had decided to tag along with him as he went to pick Rachel up from practice that Wednesday.

Brody gave a small shrug. "Feels like ages."

"A year is not ages," Jesse said with a roll of his eyes.

As they reached their destination, he threw the door open and stepped inside.

New Direction's was gathered in the seats at the back of the room while Mr. Schue and Shelby stood in front of them. When they heard the door open, they all turned to face them.

A moment passed before Shelby said, "You have perfect timing, Jesse."

He arced an eyebrow, surprised that his former coach had been the first to address him. "I do?"

"Yes. I was just telling the group about how much higher the standards would be at Nationals," Shelby explained. "As a three time champion, you should be able to demonstrate the level they'll need to be at."

"Oh." He blinked at her for a moment before looking over his shoulder at Brody and Adam, "Would you two be okay with putting on a number quickly?"

Brody raised his eyebrows. "I've never done this glee stuff, you know that."

"It'll be fine," Jesse dismissed. "You know how to dance and you know how to sing and you're good enough at them that you good into NYADA. And I really only need backup for the song I'm thinking."

Still looking skeptical, Brody let out a drawled, "Okay..."

"I'm for it," Adam piped in.

"Good!"

He clapped his hands together before turning to mouth the name of a song to them. When he got nods from both of them, he mouthed the title to the band.

As he turned back to New Directions, he felt a familiar feeling rise in his chest.

It had him letting out a soft sigh as the first notes of the song started.

He loved NYADA and the opportunities it gave him, but it didn't allow him the same amount of freedom that a glee club did. There was nothing quite like getting to put on a show without thinking about how his song choice would fit an assignment and affect his grade.

As the songs introduction came to an end, he let himself loosen up.

He stomped his foot against the ground and bobbed his head as he sung, " _Rise above gonna start the war! Whatcha want, whatcha need, whatcha come here for? Well an eye for an eye and an F for a fight. Taking me down is a prisoners right!_ " Adam and Brody came in with the accompaning oooh's as he started the next line, " _Got shackles on, my words are tied. Fear can make you compromise. With the lights turned up, it's hard to hid. Sometimes I wanna disappear."_

* * *

 **En:** So hopefully everyone is okay with the fact that this chapter didn't focus a whole lot on Jesse and Rachel even though they're together? I planned to focus on them a lot when prom comes around!

Also, I used the last bit in this chapter to address how Jesse feels about college. I am not repeating the canon thing and having him drop/flunk out, but I do think Jesse is the type of performer who likes to just perform and that he would feel restricted at any type of school, performing arts or otherwise.

Review and favorite/follow if you enjoyed?


	29. A Night of Neglect

**Forever Has to Start Somewhere**

 **Chapter 29:** A Night of Neglect

* * *

"A benefit is a much better idea than selling salt taffy," Jesse declared. He was walking down the street with an iced caff _è_ americano in one hand while his head was craned up to look at the buildings around him.

"The idea is yes," Rachel agreed. "But it's not going to matter if we can't get anyone to come."

"Well, between your fathers and my uncle you've got at least three," Jesse said. "And, even though I can't be there, I'll have Josh buy an extra ticket for me."

"Do not waste your money like that."

"Josh and I offered to pay for the whole trip and you told us no. At least let me do this."

"Of course I wouldn't let you pay for the trip. You're my boyfriend not my...sugar daddy." He could hear the cringe in her voice at the end. A puff of laughter left his lips. "Jesse! Don't laugh at me!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he said, waving a hand in the air in dismissal even though she couldn't see him. "I just never thought I'd hear the words sugar daddy come out of your mouth."

"It's not funny. When I told Kurt that you'd offered to pay for the trip to nationals, he told me there are multiple members of the club who think our relationship is like that."

"Honestly, who cares what they think?" Jesse questioned.

"Me!"

"Well you shouldn't. I can tell you with certainty that the only people who would honestly believe that are people who neither of us give a shit about," he said. "Everyone who knows us knows that I spend money on you because I love you and one day we're going to get married and it's all going to be your money as well."

Rachel said, "As sweet as that marriage statement was, it's significantly overshadowed by the mention of your money."

"Marrying me means marrying my money. It's a fact." He took a sip of his drink before saying, "However, its also a fact that you are going to make me the first man in this family that can say they married for love."

There was a moment of silence before Rachel grumbled, "Cheater."

He let out a loud laugh. "In this situation, I think I'm okay with that."

* * *

"That was an excellent performance." The whole glee club looked over to find Shelby walking out of the wings and onto the stage. She strolled towards Sunshine without any falter in her steps. "But, I'm afraid you won't be able to participate in our benefit."

The club erupted in outraged cries, the exception being Rachel who watched the interaction with folded arms and narrowed eyes.

"I want to help though," Sunshine said.

"Have you spoken to your coach about this yet?"

Sunshine gave a shake of her head. "No, but I don't need his permission to-"

"I know Goolsby well and he would never allow one of his stars to help his competition like this. You'd just be causing more issues by agreeing to help only to pull out when he finds out." She turned to the group, saying, "And you guys, why would you consider letting your competition help you with something like this?"

"She has six hundred twitter followers," Artie said.

"You guys can sell that many tickets if you tried," she said. "But you've already given up. You haven't even all invited your parents yet.

"The whole point of doing this was so our parents didn't have to pay for our trip," Tina insisted.

"There's a difference between asking them to buy a ticket to support you at a school event and asking your parents to pay your whole way." Her eyes locked on each of them as she said, "Sam, you have two younger siblings who I'm sure would love to come see you perform. Santana, your abuela would be here in a heartbeat if you asked her. And Quinn, you talk all the time about how both of your parents are trying to win your affection. Don't you think this is a much better reason to exploit that than a new curling iron?"

They were all silent for a minute, each of them thinking about the family members they had that would come to see them.

Shelby continued, "I expect you to try your hardest to fill this auditorium up before you start asking our competition for help."

"Yes Ma'am," they chorused.

She watched them for another moment before her lips curled up in a smile. "Alright than. Sunshine, I'm going to have to ask you to leave. We've got to start practicing for our benefit."

* * *

"David!" Rachel called, pushing through the hallway to reach him.

"Rachel," he murmured as she reached him. She frowned a bit when she noticed that he wasn't looking her in the eyes. "What do you want?"

She watched him for a minute before holding the folder in her hand out to him. "I heard from Shelby that you still hadn't submitted a number for the benefit and I already agreed to give Mercedes the final number during the benefit, so I thought the two of us could do a duet together. I wanted to do one with you when you first joined the club, but it was Valentines so it seemed poor taste. This seems like the perfect time."

Karofsky stared at her for a minute. His gaze dropped down the folder in her hands. His eyebrows knitted together as he said, "You want to talk about music?"

"Yes?" she said, unsure as to why he was so confused about the topic. "What else did you think I wanted to discuss?"

His eyes darted around before he said, "The thing that happened at the party?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Are you ready to talk about that?"

"No," he said.

"Then we won't talk about it," Rachel declared. "I don't want you to bottle everything up, but I don't want to push you into talking about something you aren't ready to talk about either."

His tongue darted along his lips. "Really?"

"Really. Just know that when you are ready to talk, I'll be here for you."

There was a moment before Karofsky reached out, closing his hand around the folder she held. She let it go easily. "What song did you pick?"

"Remind Me by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood," she said, smiling brightly as he flipped it open to look at the lyrics. "Normally I would chose something Broadway, but you have a voice for country so I thought it would be best to go with that."

* * *

"It's a full house out there," Puck declared as he entered the choir room where the others were putting on their costumes and fixing their make-up.

"What? How?" Santana questioned. "I thought we ended up only selling to our parents?"

"Who said that?" Karofsky asked, drawing attention to him. He was standing behind Rachel, who was using the only vanity in the room to put on a light layer of make-up. "I sold at least twenty tickets."

There was a moment before Finn said, "To who?"

"My mom's an athletic booster," he explained. "When I told her about this whole thing she said she'd consider starting a music boosters as well and got tickets for a bunch of people she knew."

Kurt added, "I got the Warblers to come by convincing them that their loss at regionals would be in vain if we couldn't pay for the trip and my dad sold tickets to a few of the guys at the shop."

"Both of my parents invited people from their jobs," Quinn reported.

"And my siblings told a bunch of their friends when told Stacy I would sing a Disney song," Sam said. "So there's a ton of elementary school kids who dragged their parents out."

Rachel added, "And I put notices up on a few show choir websites so there are some enthusiasts coming."

"I told you that you could do it," Shelby declared as she walked into the room with Mr. Schue.

They were scheduled to sing a duet of _As Long As_ _Your Mine_ on the middle of the program, so their coaches were dressed in semi-matching outfits. Shelby would a long sleeves black dress with a black witches hat on her head while Mr. Schue wore a white button up with black suspenders and matching pants.

Mr. Schue clapped his hands together as he said, "You sold as many tickets as you put your minds to it. If you hadn't tried your hardest we wouldn't have gotten a turn out this good. Give yourself a round of applause."

They had a brief moment to comply with his request before there was a knock on the door.

Heads turned to see a man in a green florist hat walking in. He had a cardboard box in his hands which carried two vases, one full of red roses and one full of colored orchids.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," the man declared. "The man outside said I could find Kurt Hummel and Rachel Berry in here?"

"That's us," Kurt said, gesturing to Rachel. He was sitting just barely on the edge of the vanity she was using. As he spoke, he stood up and made his way to the man.

"Who are they from?" asked Matt. "I thought it would be Jesse, but if there's some for Kurt too..."

Kurt bent down, grabbing the card from the orchids as the man carried the vase of roses to Rachel. He flipped it around, reading the lettering out-loud, "Jesse told me it's actually bad taste to send flowers before a performance but I wanted to tell you good luck without disturbing you. Love, Joshua."

He hummed softly as he placed the card back down and grabbed his own bouquet, "What does yours say Rachel?"

"Something similar," she answered after she leaned forward to grab the card from the flowers, "with some added lines apologizing about Jesse not being here."

"They're lovely flowers," Kurt commented, fingers running over his flowers.

"They are," Rachel agreed. She set down the make-up brush she'd been using and smiled brightly. "We'll have to put on a great show to thank him for them."

* * *

Rachel was giddy on the high of a performance as she stepped out into night air.

Her fingers shook with adrenaline as she took her phone from her pocket. She punched in familiar numbers before lifting it to her ear.

It took only a few moments before Jesse answered. Forging a hello, he said, "Josh sent me a video. Your performance was absolutely spectacular."

"Thank you," she said, as she turned her head up the sky. "I feel fantastic right now."

"I'd imagine," he answered. "You're going to feel spectacular after nationals. It's a huge stage with a huge audience watching you."

"An audience which will include you?"

"Absolutely," Jesse agreed. "Nationals takes place on my turf. There's nothing in the world that could make me miss it."

"I'm glad," she murmured. She reached a hand up, fists closing around the stars in the sky. "Everything feels so much better when your there for me to share it with."

"I know. I feel the same." There was a moment where they both just took slow breaths before he said, "I love you."

She grinned widely as she answered, "I love you too."


	30. Born This Way

**Forever Has to Start Somewhere**

 **Chapter 30: Born This Way**

* * *

"Is he still threatening to put his fist through my face?" Finn whispered.

He was leaning against the counter in the doctors office, his expression a mixture of guilt and nervousness.

Rachel sent him a look that portrayed her frustration, both at his stupid question and the boy still shouting into her ear, without saying anything.

Finn's voice was weak as he mumbled, "Still threatening to put a fist through my face then."

"Kindly be quiet, Finn," Rachel said.

Jesse let out a growl over the phone. "Why is he even there? I thought you called your fathers."

"I did, but they're still fifteen minutes out and he felt guilty about breaking my nose."

"We don't know it's broken," Finn argued.

Just as he spoke, the door opened and the doctor walked in with her x-ray. As he crossed to pin it up, he said, "It's definitely broken."

Rachael heard the twin sounds of Jesse growling and Finn groaning as he folded further into himself.

"I'll call you when the appointment finished," Rachel promised.

"Absolutely not," Jesse said. "Put me on speaker. I want to hear what the doctor has to say."

Rachel gave a soft sigh as she complied. She was usually flattered by how protective of her Jesse was, but right now it wasn't really helping the situation. He was just making Finn even more nervous and Rachel didn't see that going well. With her luck, it would just make Finn more nervous the next time they practiced and she'd end up with a black eye to go with her nose.

"It's a clean break, so I won't have to set it," the doctor said. Rachel clicked the phone onto speaker and set it down on her thigh. "Considering your deviated septum, I'd consider this an opportunity for a little vanity adjustment."

She heard Jesse suck an angry huff of air as she let out a soft, "Are you suggesting that I get a nose job?"

"Your sixteen right?" Rachel nodded, not quite sure how else to respond. "That's when I gave my daughters theirs. It's like a right of passage for Jewish girls."

"First of all, I like how I look," Rachel said.

The doctor's gaze slid to Finn. "She your girlfriend?"

As Finn was stammering for a reply, Jesse hissed out, "No! She's mine."

The doctors eyes slid to the phone, lit up with the picture of Jesse she used as his contact photo. An eyebrow arched as they darted back up to look at Rachel.

"Second of all," Rachel cut in, hoping to placate the situation a bit, "I don't want to do anything that's going to effect my voice. My Broadway career depends on it."

"Y-Yeah!" Finn piped in. "We've got a big show choir competition coming up and Rachel's kind of our best singer."

"Doesn't impact the voice. That's just a myth. The fact is opening up that septum might allow you to take in more breath which would lead to bigger belts on your high notes."

Rachel faltered.

Knowing exactly what she was thinking even without being there to see her, Jesse let out an exasperated huff. "Rachel, you can not seriously be considering this. You are already a suburb singing, you don't need a nose job to achieve that. And think about Barbra!"

"Barbra is great," the doctor agreed, "but she was also one in a million. The fact is, if you want to be an actress you may want to consider looking and sounding the best that you can. I've got an appointment open next week, I can sign you up."

* * *

When people tried something with Jesse, he let it hit him and then bounced back with an insult at least three times worse.

He knew he was charming, talented, and just a little cruel when he wanted to be. He was fine with that, proud of it even, and he didn't give a single fuck what people thought about him.

Rachel Berry happened to be one of the very few people who managed to strip Jesse down to the most basic of his emotions.

Nothing made that quite as apparent to Brody as watching Jesse walk around their dorm room in a rage.

His blue eyes were glacier blue. His hands were fisted so tightly that his knuckles were white and Brody could see little crescents of blood where his nails were digging into his palms.

"I can't believe she's honestly thinking about this!" Jesse roared. He was pacing from the window to the door, each step slamming against the ground so hard Brody was amazed the boys in the dorm below them hadn't come up to complain yet. "Doesn't she realize how beautiful she is? How talented?"

Having spent the last thirty minutes listening to Jesse say the exact same thing in different words, Brody was sick enough of it to finally speak up. "Have you ever considered that she doesn't?"

"Why wouldn't she? I tell her all the time!"

"Well honestly, I'm pretty sure that's half the problem."

That seemed to stop Jesse in his tracks. He turned his eyes still filled with rage, to Brody. "What do you mean?"

"I'm just saying is that Rachel's self confidence can't revolve around you," Brody explained. "You can tell her she's beautiful every second of every day, but it won't do any good unless she believes it herself."

Jesse stared at him for another minute. He seemed to be turning Brody's words over in his head. At last he said, "So I'm just supposed to let her do it?"

"I'm not saying that. I'm saying that you have to think about how Rachel actually feels about herself, not just how you've told her to feel. I'm saying that she needs confidence in something other than just her voice and you can't be that thing. Even if your married to her ten years from now, you won't be around to tell her she's beautiful every day."

* * *

"You can't just let her do this to you, David!"

Karofsky let out a sigh as he slammed his locker door shut.

He was getting used to Rachel's sudden appearance at his locker. He'd even come to like them, on the occasions when she wasn't being overbearing and naggy. Today didn't happen to be one of those days.

"What Santana's doing isn't going to matter if you let it out in the middle of the hallway," Karofsky snapped at her.

"I would never out you like that!" Rachel hissed, looking around them before whispering the words. "I told you when I found out that I wouldn't do that to you! It's something you have to decide for yourself."

"Then why are we having this conversation?" he questioned. "Because I'm not ready and the only way to keep everyone from finding out is to give Santana what she wants by running for Prom King with her."

"Because she shouldn't be able to hold it over your head either!" she argued. She was following him down the hallway now, even though her fifth period was in the opposite direction. "You're allowed to keep it a secret if you want because it's private, but it's not some dirty skeleton in the closet either. You shouldn't have to pretend to be something you're not. You don't have to change yourself."

"Yeah, well, your nose isn't some dirty skeleton in the closet either but that's not stopping you from changing it."

"That's the same!"

"You're right," he agreed. He stopped to turn and look at her. "Because you don't have to worry about your parents kicking you out or losing all your friends or having the shit kicked out of you in a dark alleyway just because your nose is a little on the big side."

He couldn't even bring himself to care about how wounded she looked as he stalked away.

She didn't follow after him this time.

* * *

 _Jesse (11:13am):_

 _You're sure you and Puck have it handled?_

 _Kurt (11:30am):_

 _If there's anyone that can get through to Rachel, it's Barbra Streisand._

 _Jesse (11:34am):_

 _That's a yes...?_

 _Kurt (11:37am):_

 _That's a yes._

 _Kurt (11:38am):_

 _You're sure you don't want to Facetime or call or anything while we're doing it?_

 _Jesse (11:41am):_

 _Do I want to? Absolutely. But Brody pointed out that this was probably something I should step back from._

 _Kurt (11:45am):_

 _Alright._

 _I'll let you know how it goes._

* * *

On Friday, Jesse was seated in dining hall with Adam and Brody when Rachel sent him the picture.

It was a selfie of her, Kurt, and Puckerman in their Born This Way shirts. Puck had a lecherous grin on his lips, his arm angled in a way that made it clear his hands were definitely trying to get somewhere they shouldn't have been. Kurt had his nose scrunched up in distaste, but a glint in his eyes that made it clear he was more amused then anything. Rachel's head was thrown back in laughter, the little white strip that'd been on her nose all week finally peeled away.

"Everything alright?" Brody asked around a mouthful of sweet potato fries.

"Relatively," Jesse said as he saved the photo. As he shoved his phone in his pocket, he added, "I'm just a little worried the sky might be falling since you were actually right for once."

* * *

 **En** : I feel like I could give an excuse for not updating this, but that would be lying. The reason I haven't been writing is because I've been playing DragoN Age (2 and Inquistion) pretty much twelve hours a day and crying over Rainbow Rowell novels the other twelve (oh god really why does Carry On exist other then to make me cry over how utterly gay Baz Pitch is and why does Eleanor & Park have to pretty much ruin all faith I had in the world?).

ANYWAY! Things you guys may actually care about: I know there's not a lot of St. Berry in this chapter, but I thought that it needed to not be about that. One of my main problems in Glee is how dependent Rachel became on Finn's image of her and I didn't want her to go through that with Jesse.

Yes, I've said before that he boosts her confidence and that's true but it's also not the same. She can rely on him to tell her about her performances because Jesse is the only one she knows that can reliably give her that information. Santana and Quinn's opinions on her voice mean nothing to her. Her appearance tho? Anyone could judge her on that and she needs to see herself as beautiful without Jesse being there.

I hope that makes sense for everyone?

I will TRY not to go another month without posting, but I can't promise anything!


	31. Rumours

**Forever Has to Start Somewhere**

 **Chapter 31: Rumors**

* * *

"I thought you didn't want to get caught up in Sam's drama?" Jesse questioned. He was walking across the courtyard, on his way to meet up with Adam for one of their performance classes.

"The last time Sam had something going on, it happened to involve Santana," Rachel pointed out. "And, even now it's not Sam I'm worried about. It's Finn. He doesn't deserve to have Quinn cheat on him again."

"I could put together a pretty convincing argument to the contrary," he said. "Given that Finn and Quinn got together while Quinn was with Sam."

"Quinn already cheated on Finn once."

"Karma can't happen before the fact," Jesse argued. "Look, I know if you're really set on this, what I'm saying won't matter. But, I really don't think it's a good idea for you to get involved in this. Despite what I think Finn Hudson deserves, you don't actually know what's going on."

"I can't figure out what's going on if I don't get involved."

"Rachel, please. It's New Directions. No matter whats going on, it's not going to stay secret for long." Silence settled between them for a moment. He could practically see Rachel hesitating as she thought over his words. He added, "Plus, think about how a stalking charge will look when you're auditioning for roles. You won't be allowed in the same room as any of the stars."

She was quiet for a minute before she said, "It would put a damper on my plans if I had to explain the charge every time I had an audition."

Feeling as though discussing the issue any further would just lead to them talking in circles, Jesse inquired, "So you're going to drop it?"

"No, but I'll be extra careful not to get caught."

Jesse let out a soft sigh. "I suppose that's the best I'm going to get from you. Just do me a favor and text me while you and Hudson are out. I wanna make sure to call my uncle so he can prep your bail money."

"You're lack of faith in me is, quite frankly, appalling."

"Oh darling, you are incredibly talented and I have no doubt that you will do incredible things with those talents. However, I also have complete faith that you are never going to be a criminal mastermind." He caught sight of Adam. The other was leaning against the wall next to the doors that lead into the building. His head was dipped down as his fingers flew across his phone. "Okay, I've got to go now. Promise you'll text me tonight?"

"Promise. Though, I still think it's completely unnecessary."

"Noted."

* * *

"Leave," Shelby declared as she entered the club room to find April Rhodes sitting with Will Schuester. Her words were harsh, but her words were most disinterested than angry. She didn't so much as look at them again as she dropped a folder onto the top of the piano and began shifting through the sheets. "I know the kids are looking forward to prom, Will, but we really need to think about Nationals some more. I'm thinking a duet between Rachel and-"

"Excuse me?" April cut in. "Did you just tell me to leave?"

Trying to soothe the tension, Will said, "Shelby, I invited April to help us today. She gave me the idea to do songs from Rumours to try and dispel some of the tension between the kids."

"I figured you had invited her," Shelby said, her head still bent down. "That doesn't change the fact that she needs to leave immediately."

April hissed out, "And why is that?"

"Well for starters, you slept with three underage boys," Shelby tossed out. "Which, regardless of how willing I'm sure they were, is a federal offense. Not to mention you got Kurt so drunk he puked on Emma's shoes. You're a bad influence and the last thing we need is you stirring up more drama right now."

"She's actually here to help with that," Will said. "April suggested doing Fleetwood Mac's Rumours to help the kids work through their drama."

Shelby gave a soft hum. She looked up from her sheet music now, her lips pressed in a firm line. "That's actually a good idea. It doesn't change the fact that she can't be here. Now leave before I call Coach Bieste to haul you out of here. She'll be more than happy to help once I explain the situation."

* * *

 _Kurt (3:12pm):_

 _If Jesse tells you I'm cheating on you, ignore him. He's an idiot._

 _Adam (3:14pm):_

 _Are you?_

 _Kurt (3:15pm):_

 _Ugh, no._

 _I'm just helping a friend and Rachel doesn't know the whole story so she's assuming things._

 _Adam (3:18pm):_

 _Ah, I see._

 _And you think she'll tell Jesse?_

 _Kurt (3:19pm):_

 _Rachel and Jesse tell each other everything._

 _Even the things they've been asked_ ** _not_** _to tell anyone else._

 _Adam (3:21pm):_

 _True enough._

 _Did you still want to watch a movie_ _and skype_ _tonight or has all of this drama put you off it?_

 _Kurt (3:22pm):_

 _Yes, of course. I need to unwind with Confessions of a Shopaholic and my gorgeous boyfriends face._

 _Adam (3:24pm):_

 _It's my turn to pick, love._

 _We are not watching Confessions of a Shopaholic._

* * *

"So, my actions may have led to some unforeseen consequences," Rachel declared when Jesse picked up the phone. Glee club had just ended so the hallway was mostly empty as she approached her locker. There were a few stragglers – people who had just finished in other clubs – but not anyone she was worried about overhearing her conversation.

"Hello sweetheart," Jesse greeted, his voice filled with amusement. "Did you pick up that stalking charge after all?"

"No, it's worse then that."

"What could possibly be worse then a charge that could ruin your career before it started?"

"Someone on the school newspaper saw Finn and I on our last stake out. Quinn thinks he's cheating on her with me."

Jesse scoffed. "Quinn's delusional. Does she realize how far you'd be downgrading?"

"Jesse! That's not the issue! She's threatening to quit if Finn and I do any duets together."

"Why are you upset by this? That's fantastic news. Schuester won't risk her quitting so you'll get to sing with someone who can actually carry a tune. Puck or Karofsky would be great choices for a duet at nationals, though a powerhouse duet with Kurt or Mercedes has it's appeal as well. Or you could just do a solo and-"

"David isn't talking to me and even if he was-"

"What? Why?"

"We got into a bit of a spat last week. I'm dealing with it." Before Jesse could say anything else, Rachel continued with her previous sentence, "Even if he was talking to me, Finn is Mr. Schue's favorite and he isn't particularly fond of me. He'd rather let Finn and Quinn do a subpair duet at Nationals then let me sing so we can actually win."

"It's not just his decision anymore, especially not when it comes to nationals which Shelby has actually won. I'm pretty sure she wouldn't give Finn a duet with you even if Quinn hadn't given her ultimatum." He paused for a second, considering. Then he added, "Actually, you might end up dueting with Finn for an assignment next week. Shelby really doesn't like ultimatums. She'll make it obvious whose side she's on, even if Quinn retracts it."

"Oh I hope not. Prom is next week and I really don't want it to end Carrie-style."

"I promise not to let that happen."

"Something tells me your presence doesn't mean a whole lot to Quinn."

"It's a mutual feeling," Jesse commented. "But I wouldn't let her ruin your prom for you."

Rachel gave a soft sigh. "I'm just glad you're going to be here."

"I know." They settled into a comfortable silence for a few minutes. "Are you on your way home then?"

"Yeah. Matt and Mike invited me to the Lima Bean, but after everything that happened in glee today, I wasn't feeling up to it.

"Mmm, I'll hang up so you can drive then. Let me know when your home and we'll skype."

"Okay. I love you."

"Love you too."

* * *

 **En** : Sorry this one took so long. Rumours is honestly one of my least favorite episodes. I hate what Rachel and Finn do to Sam in it, so it's hard for me to watch it 10 times to make sure I get all the details I want like I do with other episodes.

Luckily, Prom Queen is next and it's one of my favorites (mostly bc st. berry tbh. It's got one of my favorite Jesse lines "I shouldn't have traded what we had for a fourth national title. A first, maybe. But a fourth? No way".) I haven't decided yet whether there will be FInn Drama - on one hand Finn drama is a huge part of Prom Queen and on the other, I feel like Rachel and Jesse in this fic are beyond Finn drama and there would be no precedent for it. Feel free to give your opinion.

I hope no one minds that I didn't actually take this chapter to the end of the episode? I just felt like there wasn't much to say other then the possibility of Rachel telling Jesse how bad she felt about forcing Sam to "out" himself for lack of a better term.

ALSO! I wanted to say hello to all of you who have joined us recently!

Review and favorite if you enjoyed!


	32. Prom Queen I

**Forever Has to Start Somewhere**

 **Chapter 32: Prom Queen I**

* * *

"You're absolutely certain everything's taken care of?" Rachel questioned. She was sitting on her bed in her pajamas. Her computer balanced on her crossed knees, the screen tilted up so her webcam could see her.

"One hundred percent," Jesse assured. He was seated in his desk chair. He'd drawn one foot up to rest on the edge, wrapping his arms around it and settling his chin on his propped up knee. A mirthful smile played on his lips.

"You're laughing at me," Rachel observed, pressing her lips in a firm line.

"Not laughing," Jesse corrected. "But I won't lie and say I'm not amused, though."

She did her best to portray how displeased she was by his reaction, giving him a sharp look. "Jesse, this is important to me!"

"I know it is, sweetheart," he assured. "Which is why I made sure everything was ready when you asked me the first time. Forgive me if I find it a little funny that you're still asking two days later."

She tried not to react. It didn't work, her mouth opening and asking, "Everything?"

The corners of Jesse's lips went a little higher as his smile widened. He nodded, "Everything. I asked Josh to take one of my suits out and have it taken care of, Kurt ordered your corsage so that it matches the color of your dress, and my plane ticket's been booked for Friday night."

"There's really no way for you to come Friday morning?" she questioned. She chewed on her lip. "I hate the idea of something happening and your flight getting canceled."

He shook his head. "Not unless you want me to leave Kurt's date behind. Adam's got class on Friday morning." When she seemed to hesitate at the question, Jesse stated, "I'm not leaving Kurt's date behind."

"Fine," she said with a long sigh. "But if your flight gets canceled, you better find a way to get here before prom starts."

He gave another indulgent smile. "I will drive all night if I have to."

She gave a small smile of her own, though it looked a little stressed. "You'd better."

* * *

Rachel was sitting at the piano bench when she heard the door slide open.

Glancing up from the sheet music she had been working on, a piece she had been considering doing for one of her songs at prom, to find Karofsky entering the room.

"David. You're here early today," she remarked, a little surprised to see him. She was even more surprised when she saw the red rimming his eyes and the guilt covering his face. She stood up quickly. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he grumbled. He reached one hand up, wiping hastily at his eyes.

She hesitated for a moment, unsure if she should point it out, before saying, "Do you want to talk about it?"

"You wouldn't get it."

She thought about the conversation they'd had when she'd been considering a nose job.

It was true she would never really be able to properly understand what Karofsky was going through, but that didn't mean she didn't want to help him if she could.

"No, I probably wouldn't," she admitted. "But sometimes you just need someone to listen."

He stared at her for a moment. At last, he said, "I'll keep that in mind."

"Alright." Rachel glanced back down at her sheet music. As she examined the black notes printed on the page, she said, "I know you and Santana probably have plans with the cheerios and football players for before prom, but I'd love for you to join us after."

"Whose 'us'?" he questioned.

"Myself and Jesse obviously, Kurt and his boyfriend, Adam, Puck, and Matt. Mike would be there, but he and Tina have plans if you know what I mean."

He let out a small laugh as he crossed the room to her. "I get it. You don't have plans like that? Mike and Tina can bang anytime they want, but your guy lives in New York."

"I'm going to spend the night with him, but we both agreed to spend some time with everyone else as well. And since I didn't really want to go to an after party, we agreed having everyone at his place for a small gathering would be better." She was quiet for a minute before saying, "Of course, if you don't feel comfortable being around Adam and Kurt then-"

"It's fine, Rachel." He propped his elbows on the top of the piano. His gaze darted to the doorway, checking that it was actually shut, before focusing on her. "I didn't think Kurt and I were ever going to be _anything,_ not after all that stuff I did, and while we're not really friends, we are friendly. I think that's the most I can hope for."

She considered whether or not she would be crossing a line before reaching up. She settled her hand on his forearm, "Maybe that's all you're going to get with Kurt, but there will be others."

They were quiet for a minute before he gave a small nod. "Yeah, maybe."

"Definitely," she corrected. Withdrawing her hand from his skin, she settled her fingers on the piano keys. "I wanna practice this number again. Will you listen and tell me what you think?"

"Sure. Go ahead."

* * *

"Jesse!" Leroy exclaimed when he threw the door open on Saturday night. "Hello."

"Hey Mr. Berry," Jesse greeted with an easy smile.

He raked his eyes over Jesse, taking in the young man's appearance, before giving a sharp nod. "Very nice."

"Thank you. Is Rachel ready?"

Leroy opened his mouth to answer, only to be cut off by Rachel saying, "I am."

Jesse turned towards the sound.

When his eyes caught sight of Rachel, he felt the air rush out of his lungs.

She was standing on the stairwell in her dress, a strapless pale pink number with a skirt that flowed around her legs, and her hair was pinned to the top of her head in a tangle of brown girls. There was a thin sheen of pink lip gloss on her lips and glitter on her cheeks.

"You look beautiful," Jesse muttered as he gravitated towards her.

Her lips tipped in a small, shy smile. She reached up one hand, tucking a stray curl behind her ear. "Really?"

"Absolutely breathtaking," he assured, his lips tipping up in a smile of his own.

"Thank you." Standing at the bottom of the steps, he held a hand up for her. Her smile curled up even further. As she set her hand in his, she remarked, "This is making me feel like a princess."

"You are a princess," Jesse said. He lifted her hand to his mouth, pressing a light kiss against her knuckles. "I miss you."

"I missed you too," she answered, giving his hand a tight squeeze.

"Alright, enough of that kids," Hiram interrupted. Jesse glanced up, noticing for the first time that he stood at the top of the stairs with a camera around his neck. "I know you haven't seen each other in a few weeks, but no flirting in front of the parents. We'll take some pictures and then you can get out of here. Jesse, should I make copies for your uncle?"

"If it's not too much trouble, sir."

Rachel adjusted their grip so their fingers slotted together as she came down the stairs.

Her father slipped down the stairs after her, walking over to his partner as he made suggestions about where they should take the pictures.

Jesse took the opportunity to lean over and press his lips against Rachel's cheek, not wanting to risk musing her lip gloss before the night had even started

"I love you," he whispered against her skin.

She didn't say it back, but the widening of her smile and the way she squeezed his hand again were enough of a response.


End file.
